Carrington FFA attends Fall Leadership

Nineteen members of the Carrington FFA Chapter attended the State FFA Fall Leadership Conferences in Bismarck, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28-29.

Emery Patzer, Kenleigh Hinrichs, Lola Brewer-Messmer, Leighton Ness, William Jorgensen, Liam Aberle and Geron Harris attended the 101 Conference. The two-day 101 Conference is designed to give first year FFA members insight into the National FFA Organization and the Agricultural Education Program. First year FFA members broke into sessions that explored many different aspects of the FFA Organization, including leadership, teamwork, FFA opportunities, and official FFA dress.

Cyrena Kuss, Molly Fiebiger, Charles Jorgensen and Karson Sorensen attended the Blue Leadership Conference. The two-day personal development program challenges students to push past their limits. The conference focused on student development and personal growth. FFA members attended sessions on making positive decisions, working through difficult times and taking steps toward self-improvement.

Isabel Wendel, Mercedes Lura, Hayden Somsen, Bailey Ness, Molly Hansen, Abby Lee, Kelsi Neuman, Jaedyn Lura and Hayden Somsen attended the Gold Leadership Conference. The two-day leadership development program takes students full circle through chapter leadership development. Students spent their time understanding the importance of influence, supporting others, and challenging themselves to their best. The Blue and Gold program was presented by motivational speakers from Your Next Speaker.

At the conference, members also had the opportunity to serve by helping to package 500 Ag STEM kits. These hands-on kits are designed to spark curiosity, and teach young students about growing plants and exploring agriculture. Each kit includes engaging activities that introduce students to the science of farming, making learning both fun and educational. The goal is to inspire children to grow their own food and discover how agriculture impacts their daily lives.

These kits were generously provided through a Living to Serve Grant from the National FFA Organization, with additional support from the Department of Agriculture, the North Dakota Soybean Council, Derek & Rodney Rusch Farm, and the North Dakota FFA Foundation.

These resources aim to make learning about agriculture accessible, exciting and educational. The kits are now being distributed to local schools, with additional kits being donated to North Dakota's Gateway to Science.

Over 1,000 FFA members from across the state attended the 2024 Fall Leadership Conferences.