FFA State Presidents' Conference

Washington, DC
July 23, 2008

The leadership of the Idaho Association of Future Farmers of America stopped by my office recently during the annual FFA State Presidents' Conference in Washington, DC. I spoke with President Kelsey Day from Rexburg and Vice President Stephen Parrott from Buhl about farming and agriculture-related issues and learned of their experiences in FFA.

Our conversation reminded me of my own experiences as a student in that same organization, when I, too, had the chance to travel to the nation's capital and meet with Idaho's Congressional leaders-- Senators Len Jordan and Frank Church and Congressman Compton White. My experiences in FFA taught me valuable lessons on leadership and politics, and it's refreshing to see FFA continuing to provide that learning opportunity for the next generation of America's farmers.