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CapitalPress.com
April 13, 2018
Idaho FFA Convention
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New Idaho FFA state officers ready to serve
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
TWIN FALLS, Idaho —
Running on empty at the
close of the annual Idaho
State Leadership Confer-
ence, newly elected state
officers were nonetheless
thrilled with their new roles
and excited for the year
ahead.
“I’m honestly in shock.
I don’t believe I’m worthy
of this almost,” President
Saydee Longhurst said.
A senior at Shelly High
School,
Longhurst has
served as FFA chapter and
district president. She plans
to attend Utah State Univer-
sity to major in agribusiness
and hopes to one day take
over her parents’ first-gener-
ation family farm.
Her goal in the coming
year is to visit all the FFA
chapters in the state to “sup-
port the wonderful members
FFA has to offer,” she said.
She also hopes to grow
personally, saying she’s al-
ready grown so much through
the state candidate process.
Vice President Harrison
Jansen van Beek said he’s a
little worn out, but overall
excited and “super happy.”
“I couldn’t ask for any-
thing better. It’s going to be
an amazing year,” he said.
A senior at Middleton
High School, he has served
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
New Idaho state FFA officers at the close of the State Leadership Conference in Twin Falls on April 7.
From left are Vice President Harrison Jansen van Beek, Sentinel Caleb Johnston, Reporter Savannah
Stroebel, Secretary Allyson King, President Saydee Longhurst and Treasurer Melanie Searle.
as chapter president and dis-
trict vice president. He plans
to attend the University of
Idaho in agribusiness and
plans to either teach or enter
the financial industry to pro-
mote and protect agriculture.
His goal in the year ahead
is to speak to FFA members
who might not necessarily
know where their place is
in agriculture and help them
figure out what FFA can pro-
vide, he said.
“I hope to meet as many
members as possible and
enjoy every moment of this
experience that has been pro-
vided to me,” he said.
Secretary Allyson King
said she’s “excited, over-
whelmed and really looking
forward” to the year ahead.
The new officer team is
already united, and she hopes
to gain experience and spur
members’ passion for agri-
culture and FFA and carry on
the good name of Idaho FFA,
she said.
She is a senior at Filer
High School and has served
as chapter and district presi-
dent.
She plans to pursue agri-
business management, start-
ing at the College of South-
ern Idaho and moving on to
a larger college. She hopes to
eventually own a local busi-
ness related to agriculture,
such as a floral or ice cream
shop.
Treasurer Melanie Searle
said being elected to state of-
fice is “just unreal.”
“I’ve wanted this since I
joined FFA,” she said.
A senior at Burley High
School, she has served as
chapter and district president.
She’s already grown close
to the other officers through
the candidate process and
is excited to serve with the
team, she said.
“I hope to reach out to
the members of all different
backgrounds and help them
find their place in FFA, as
well as grow personally and
be a positive voice for FFA,”
she said.
Reporter Savannah Stro-
ebel said she feels blessed
and excited to serve Idaho
FFA.
“It’s like a dream come
true, and I’m super excited
to get started,” she said.
She is a senior at Kuna
High School and has served
as chapter and district pres-
ident. She plans to attend
the University of Idaho to
major agriculture education
in pursuit of being an ag-
riculture teacher and FFA
adviser.
In the year ahead, she
hopes to improve her leader-
ship skills and learn from the
experiences of FFA members
around the state, she said.
“I hope to get more mem-
bers excited about FFA and
let them know they can
wear the blue jacket even
if they’re not from a farm
background,” she said.
Sentinel Caleb Johnston
said the candidate process
has been a roller coaster of
emotions and being elected a
state officer is a surreal ex-
perience.
“My heart’s full. I’m
ready to go serve,” he said.
He served as chapter
president as a senior at New
Plymouth High School and
is now a freshman at Boise
State University. He is ma-
joring in chemistry and biol-
ogy with an eye on working
in the agricultural chemicals
or animal genetics indus-
tries.
He said he’ll probably
lighten his college course
load in the coming year and
focus on helping FFA mem-
bers grow in an atmosphere
of it being OK to be them-
selves, genuine and transpar-
ent with others.
Outgoing Idaho FFA officers wrap up a year of growth
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
TWIN FALLS, Idaho —
It’s been a whirlwind year
for Idaho’s state FFA officers,
who retired on Saturday at the
conclusion of the annual State
Leadership Conference held at
the College of Southern
Idaho.
They put on career devel-
opment events for members,
went on business and indus-
try tours, attended leadership
training conferences with oth-
er state leaders, visited chap-
ters across the state, attended
the National FFA Convention
and a leadership seminar in
South Africa and planned the
state conference.
They learned a lot — about
the organization, agriculture,
fellow members and them-
selves.
Lindsey Stowell, state
president, said she learned the
importance of a positive atti-
tude.
“The fact that I knew I
only had 365 days to serve in
this position really pushed me
to think positively and relish
each moment, whether it was
stressful or not, and just get
the job done,” she said.
Austen Thomason, state
treasurer, learned the value of
face-to-face interactions with
members, advisors and sup-
porters.
“I could sit behind a desk
for days and send emails and
make phone calls constantly,
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
Keynote speaker Ray Starling, President Donald Trump’s
special assistant for agriculture, addresses Idaho FFA members
during the State Leadership Conference in Twin Falls on April 5.
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
Outgoing Idaho FFA state officers at the State Leadership Conference on April 4 at the College of
Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. From left are Treasurer Austen Thomason, Weiser; Secretary Sydney
Anderson, Nampa; President Lindsey Stowell, Vallivue; and Vice President Randy Clements, Clark
County.
and I would never be able to
mimic the impact of being on
the road and talking face-to-
face,” he said.
Sydney Anderson, state
secretary, said she’s been able
to build her understanding of
true service, and interacting
with members has been the
most fulfilling experience of
her life.
Randy Clements, state vice
president, said he learned a lot
about himself and others and
the experience broadened his
perspective on the impact of
American agriculture.
The officers said their
goals were to serve members,
visit with as many members
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“I am so proud to say that
each and every chapter I visit-
ed voiced their passions with
enthusiasm and showed me
exactly what it means to be
advocates for every side of
agriculture,” Stowell said.
“Agriculture is the back-
bone of our nation, and this
generation is the future — one
I am proud to be a part of,”
she said.
“Members continually sur-
prised me with their new ideas
for the future of agriculture,”
she said.
Clements said he was sur-
prised by the impact FFA has
had across the nation, judging
from the positive recognition
he received when wearing his
blue jacket.
Most surprising to Ander-
son was being looked up to by
FFA members.
“Having members express
their inspirations to us was the
most surprising realization …
and it really made me realize
what service really means,”
she said.
The officers said their year
at the helm was extraordi-
nary and unforgettable, and
they had some advice for
those who assumed their
roles.
“This is a once-in-a-life-
time opportunity that you
have, so make the most of it
… keep a positive attitude, a
heart of service, and remem-
ber it’s all about the mem-
bers,” Stowell said.
“Give it all your heart,”
Clements said.
“Don’t wait a single sec-
ond; get to know the mem-
bers,” Thomason said.
He also advised new offi-
cers to be themselves, be per-
sonable and remember they
have a lot to learn.
“You got elected because
you are you, not because
you’re the perfect state offi-
cer,” he said.
Anderson said there will
be challenges and advises
new officers to lead with a
positive attitude.
“This is going to be the
best year of your life, and I
encourage you to take in ev-
ery single moment with confi-
dence and gratitude because it
will fly by,” she said.
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By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
TWIN Falls, Idaho —
About 1,500 Idaho FFA
members swarmed the cam-
pus of the College of South-
ern Idaho for the annual State
Leadership Conference, and
the school’s gymnasium was
packed Thursday afternoon
to hear keynote speaker Ray
Starling.
An FFA alumnus and
past national FFA vice pres-
ident, Starling holds a high
position in the Trump ad-
ministration as assistant to
the president for agriculture,
trade and food assistance
on the National Economic
Council.
He shared his enthusi-
asm for FFA and his plea-
sure to be back among the
FFA family at the confer-
ence, delighting members
with his blue-jacket humor.
His message, however,
was how FFA prepared him
for every position and suc-
cess in his career.
Before his White House
appointment, Starling was
chief of staff, chief gener-
al counsel and senior pol-
icy adviser for U.S. Sen.
Tom Tillis, R-N.C. He also
was general counsel for the
North Carolina Department
of Agriculture and Consum-
er Services and has experi-
ence in private practice.
“Twenty-three years ago,
I sat where you are sitting
now,” he told FFA members.
His FFA experiences are
memorable, just like Idaho
FFA members’ experiences
are today. But back then, he
had little grasp of “how sig-
nificant the organization is
and the influence it can have
on your life,” he said.
Throughout his career,
he’s faced many challeng-
es. But every one of them
came easier to him than
they might have to some-
one else because of FFA,
he said.
Doing something dif-
ferent is hard, and he had
to do something different
in each new position along
the way. But whether it was
litigating on behalf of the
North Carolina Department
of Agriculture or advocat-
ing for agricultural policy
in the Legislature, he felt
he had been in those situa-
tions before because of the
experiences he had in FFA,
he said.
“I had done that before.
… I felt I had the home-field
advantage because I had
been in FFA,” he said.
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Elmer’s Restaurant, 3950 Market Street NE, Salem, Oregon, upon
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