The FFA Creed states, “I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds – achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturists; in the promise of better days through better ways even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.”
The McLeod County Corn & Soybean Growers board took this phrase to heart and put their boots to the ground to help build relationships with next generation of leaders.
In doing so, the board (Brownton farmer and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Treasurer Ryan Mackentun represents McLeod County on MSGA) connected with local FFA chapters in McLeod County to purchase MSGA student memberships to show local students the value of advocacy and supporting commodity organizations.
“I feel the future is where it is at. If we don’t have anybody to take over in our footsteps, everything that we do every day is for nothing,” said Mandy Dammann, a McLeod County Corn & Soybean Growers board member who brought forth the idea to her colleagues. “Anything to get these kids involved is vital, and it is our job to promote it.”
Glencoe Silver Lake FFA and Hutchinson FFA were the chapters that received members. Each chapter was awarded nine MSGA student memberships.
“They were extremely thankful for the opportunities that membership has to offer and were excited to stay in the loop of what is going on,” Dammann said.
MSGA President Bob Worth, a vocal proponent of increasing and diversifying MSGA’s membership ranks, was excited to see McLeod County’s outreach efforts.
“If you get the youth to understand what MSGA is all about, they will most likely become full time members when they are done with school,” Worth said.
Worth looks forward to encouraging more young leaders to get involved in MSGA.
“I can’t stress enough that we need to get our young members up to speed so that they feel comfortable,” Worth said. “And I also would like to continue to see more young individuals become more involved in MSGA in the future.”