Episode 35 Kentucky State FFA Convention
The Kentucky FFA Convention was a huge success, and Ag Credit was proud to be part of the excitement! We set up at the tradeshow with our hashtag board, a fun quiz (with prizes!), and a chance for FFA members to join us on the podcast. This week’s episode features special guests FFA Advisor Terra Pigg from Clark County, Bluegrass Region Reporter Will Beckley, and Star Candidate Eme Tucker. We recorded near the FFA talent stage, so you might catch some of the background energy—consider it part of the experience!
Learn more about Kentucky FFA at https://kyffa.org/
Central Kentucky Ag Credit: https://agcreditonline.com
- View Transcript
[00:00:01.280] - Caleb Sadler
Welcome to Beyond Agriculture, the podcast that takes you beyond the scope of ag and into the real life stories, conversations and events taking place in our community. Who we are and what we do is beyond agriculture.[00:00:22.640] - Cassie Johnson
Welcome back to Beyond Agriculture. I am your host today, Cassie Johnson. This last week we were able to attend the Kentucky State FFA Convention and meet up with a few people from Kentucky that are participating or have kids participating in the event and listen to this episode to learn more about the Kentucky State FFA Convention. We now have Will Beckley here with us from Estell County. Will, welcome. Glad that you stopped by. You've had a busy morning so far. What have you been doing so far?[00:00:55.910] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. So I just got done competing ag employability, so hopefully I'll do good in that and hopefully I'll get an advancement.[00:01:02.130] - Cassie Johnson
So what exactly do you have to do with ag employability?[00:01:04.610] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. So about a month ago we had to get together a resume and a cover letter for a job that we picked out that was available. And then today we had to do a 3 to 5 minute phone call about 10 minutes before our interview. And that phone call just kind of set up the interview and a time and date that we would take this interview. And then like I said, 10 minutes later we had about a 10 minute interview and they just asked us about our qualifications for that job and why we really wanted that job just as some basics.[00:01:31.280] - Cassie Johnson
Wow, that's some intense stuff.[00:01:32.960] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am.[00:01:33.680] - Cassie Johnson
That really does get you prepared for interviewing for a job in the future.[00:01:37.840] - Will Beckley
It does, and it's been great for me because before this I didn't really know that well how to interview. And my teachers helped me out quite a bit on just kind of the interview skills that I've developed. And it's helped me a lot, just kind of get to know what I'm supposed to be doing and do what I'm supposed to. I guess.[00:01:53.460] - Cassie Johnson
So you have grown up in Estell county on a Hereford cow calf operation, Right. And then growing up, what made you decide to join ffa?[00:02:03.700] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. So my dad and grandpa were actually both in FFA and that's kind of been a big push to me and really it was the only club at school that really aligned with my interest. And I have a lot of friends that are in FFA that I met through showing Herford Cattle and just kind of getting out talking to people with my dad. So it was just kind of like an open door for me. And it's helped me to just Kind of get out there, meet a lot of new people, make a lot of new friends.[00:02:25.820] - Cassie Johnson
So what does ffa, what events or activities do they have for potential students that may be interested in joining? Like what are some of the stuff that they get to do?[00:02:36.540] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. So FFA has just about anything you can ask for. Like I competed in, we have job interview at UK Field day. We have even a tractor driving competition. We have any speech you can really think of. We have a bunch of different seat ID and quiz bowl kind of competitions that just test your knowledge on about agricultural based products. And even if you didn't grow up on a farm, FFA still has plenty of competitions that you could, that you would be interested in and could compete very highly in.[00:03:04.270] - Cassie Johnson
Well, even like that, the job interview or the stuff like that. Do they also have like some mechanics?[00:03:10.750] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. They have mechanical competition. I don't know what day it was here at State, but small engine repair I believe is the only one they have. They might have more though, I'm not quite sure.[00:03:21.310] - Cassie Johnson
That's a, that's a wide variety of stuff to cover and it's a good.[00:03:24.190] - Will Beckley
Skill to have in life.[00:03:25.150] - Cassie Johnson
It is, it really is. So what, I noticed that there's something new on your jacket. What, what are you currently?[00:03:32.830] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. So I just got elected the bluegrass regional reporter.[00:03:36.150] - Cassie Johnson
Okay.[00:03:36.670] - Will Beckley
So I just got my new jacket in.[00:03:38.190] - Cassie Johnson
Very nice. So what, what duties do you have now being a part of that?[00:03:43.470] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. So as the reporter specifically, I manage the social media and when we're actually at in person events, I'm not the only one. It's all of our duty to get out and talk to people and make new friends and invite people to these competitions and get more people active and participating in the Bluegrass region. But yeah, with the reporter, I basically manage the social media. I also have help from my fellow officers, but I'm the main guy posting. So if a post ain't bad, let me know. But yeah, no, very cool. It's a really cool deal and I get to get out and meet a lot of new people.[00:04:23.020] - Cassie Johnson
So how the Bluegrass region, what area does that cover?[00:04:26.380] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. So that's basically just Lexington, Bourbon county and the surrounding counties. I'm not quite, I think there's, I'm not quite sure. I'm not going to throw a number out there because I'm probably wrong, but I'm not quite sure how many counties are in the region, but I believe it is the largest region in the state of Kentucky.[00:04:42.220] - Cassie Johnson
Very cool. So what advice would you give to somebody who's considering joining an FFA but just not quite sure they want to take that step and do it?[00:04:51.020] - Will Beckley
Yeah, so if you're a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, whatever, I would definitely consider paying. Like, paying the dues. They're not that expensive, Come to it. You don't necessarily have to compete your first time, but at least go to, like, UK Field Day or the state convention here and get out and talking to people and meet some friends that you might be interested in competing with one day. And I feel like once you get in ffa, it just kind of draws you in. So once you're here in the actual flesh, you'll fall in love with it.[00:05:19.880] - Cassie Johnson
Like I have, kind of. Once you put on that blue corduroy, you're hooked from there on, aren't you?[00:05:24.720] - Will Beckley
You don't take it off.[00:05:25.760] - Cassie Johnson
Well, Will, I sure appreciate you taking time out of your day to come and stop by our booth and wish you the best of luck on your event that you participated in, and we'll see you in the future.[00:05:36.480] - Will Beckley
Yes, ma' am. Thank you for having me.[00:05:38.640] - Cassie Johnson
So this morning, we're here at the state FFA convention with Terra Pigg. Terra, how's it going?[00:05:44.000] - Terra Pigg
I'm good.[00:05:44.560] - Cassie Johnson
How are you doing? Good. Were you able to make it to Mark Pope last night to see him speak?[00:05:49.420] - Terra Pigg
Yes, yes. We had to hold some of our students back. I think they were ready to run on stage. They were so excited. Like, the man can just breathe, and they're screaming.[00:05:57.020] - Cassie Johnson
Somebody said this morning, they said, I don't know how he always has that much energy.[00:06:01.820] - Terra Pigg
That's the truth.[00:06:03.180] - Cassie Johnson
That's pretty cool. I wish we could have seen it last night. So, Terra, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?[00:06:09.420] - Terra Pigg
I am from Clark County. So I graduated from GRC, went to school there, went to Eastern, and then got the opportunity to come back and teach in my hometown. And so I've been there now for 11 years. It's my 13th. Just finished 13 of teaching, so.[00:06:25.220] - Cassie Johnson
So what made you decide to become an ag educator?[00:06:28.740] - Terra Pigg
Well, when I was a senior in high school, I was an ag office worker, and Clay Wills, my ag teacher, told me I would make a pretty good ag teacher. I should give it a try. And so I went to college, and that's not my first choice. I went looking to be a veterinarian, and then I realized that maybe I should go be an ag educator. And that just kept playing in my mind. That he pushed me towards that. And so that's what I did. And I mean, this is where I am now.[00:06:52.710] - Cassie Johnson
So he must have been onto something then, if you're still doing it after 11 years.[00:06:57.550] - Terra Pigg
Yeah.[00:06:58.350] - Cassie Johnson
That's awesome. So do you have some students here at state convention participating in events?[00:07:04.430] - Terra Pigg
Yes, we have 17 students here competing in various contests.[00:07:09.110] - Cassie Johnson
Awesome. So what are some of the contests that your students do participate in? Because convention, it's a lot different than when I used to or FFA in general. There's so many more events. It's not just your, you know, basics. So what are some that you guys compete in?[00:07:24.390] - Terra Pigg
So we had an Ag communications team that did an ag communications plan. We had a food science team. We've had multiple speakers giving speeches on various topics. So ag mechanics, dairy, various topics there. And then our middle school chapter was also here doing Quiz bowl and speeches as well. So we have been supporting them. And we had a talent as well. So we had a student prepared talent.[00:07:50.760] - Cassie Johnson
Yes, that talent. So for those that don't make it to convention, the talent show was right down from our booth. And when he came on, everybody in our booth stopped and we just looked at the stage because we were just like, who is that? He did a really good job.[00:08:07.260] - Terra Pigg
He did. He's his worst critic. I mean, he came off the stage like I did horrible. But we all thought he did wonderful. And so I'm sure he did fantastic.[00:08:13.820] - Cassie Johnson
That's cool. So do you have any events that you guys have excelled in here at the state convention?[00:08:21.020] - Terra Pigg
Yes, so I've been told. We've won AG Communications. Really? Yes.[00:08:26.500] - Cassie Johnson
Oh, that's so awesome. Well, very good. Congratulations. We'll. We'll make sure not post this until after the official announcement.[00:08:35.920] - Terra Pigg
And I also have to give a shout out to you. So we did horse judging in November and we also won the state contest there. So they'll be recognized tonight at 8. But for that as well. Even though they didn't compete while we were here.[00:08:47.120] - Cassie Johnson
Right.[00:08:47.440] - Terra Pigg
They're still recognized for their accomplishments. So we have two state winning teams this year. So we're pretty excited.[00:08:51.960] - Cassie Johnson
That's big deal.[00:08:53.120] - Terra Pigg
It is a big deal.[00:08:54.730] - Cassie Johnson
That's really cool. Well, congratulations.[00:08:56.970] - Terra Pigg
Thank you.[00:08:57.770] - Cassie Johnson
So what do you. Besides obviously doing these kind of events and competitions, what are some other things that you do with your FFA chapter in Clark County?[00:09:07.530] - Terra Pigg
So we really base our chapter off of kind of the three various breakdowns that national FFA gives us. So building community. So we do a lot in our community. We're doing A kickstart breakfast for our county fair in the next couple of weeks. We are doing drives all the time. We just built some dog houses for the animal shelter. So we're always building that community base with our students and giving back to our community and showing them the importance of that. We also, the other one is strengthening agriculture. So we do various things with our students in the classroom. So we have this activity we do with the preschool, it's called Farm Fridays. So one Friday a month we go into the preschool and we do a farm related activity and that's every month. And we relate it to whatever curriculum they're learning at the time. So that's been an awesome partnership. We also do a lot with our middle school chapter in that aspect too and going over and then the other one's personal growth. So we are taking kids to leadership conferences. We're hosting leadership conferences for our members, just trying to grow them as leaders and young adults that are going to go out into our community and hopefully we give them a well rounded education and make them a well rounded leader to go out and continue to grow our community well.[00:10:21.890] - Cassie Johnson
And that is definitely one thing that FFA has done for a lot of middle schoolers, high schoolers, even those that don't live on a farm but want to be involved with FFA, they can always gain that personal growth out of it. So yes, it's a very important thing. Terra, I think that you guys have done an outstanding job. Can't wait for my kids to be in it in a couple of years. I know. But thank you today for taking your time to stop at the booth. I know you've been extremely busy and we'll see you at Clark County Fair next week.[00:10:57.140] - Terra Pigg
All right, sounds good. Thank you.[00:11:01.500] - Shelby Terrell
Hi guys. Today we have our bluegrass region star farmer, Eme Tucker. How are you doing today?[00:11:07.260] - Eme Tucker
Good, how are you?[00:11:08.540] - Shelby Terrell
Good. So we have a question for you today. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself.[00:11:15.680] - Eme Tucker
Well, I just recently graduated from Bourbon County High School. I was the president of Bourbon county FFA. Obviously not anymore. As far as my family, I come from a farming family. We raise cattle, hay and corn. That's really where all my time takes up. But a lot of my time is devoted to veterinary medicine. I've worked at the local clinic for the past two years now. I plan to attend. Well, I will be attending Morehead State University this fall for pre vet and then with hopes to go to Auburn to come back home to be a large and small animal veterinarian.[00:11:48.480] - Shelby Terrell
How cool. So being a Star farmer candidate. You understand that farms come in many different ways. What about your production makes you proud to be a generational farmer?[00:12:00.320] - Eme Tucker
I think something I'm really proud of is that my dad's very old school school. Like a lot of he hasn't taken on a lot of the new technology, which a lot of that is great and I wish he would take. But I think it's nice that we still have the older stuff, we still do the older ways. And it just shows like the hard work from like not saying anything's bad about the new technology, but you see just how hard people worked back in the days and just valuing that work.[00:12:24.240] - Shelby Terrell
I totally agree with that. So you mentioned that cattle has been a part of your production for quite some time. How do you go about maintaining and utilizing your pastures?[00:12:33.820] - Eme Tucker
Yeah. And which like, obviously last year we had very little rain, so it was difficult. You know, you felt like you moved them to one field and then they had grass for about a days. But we really focus on just like rotational grazing. So like we move them to one field for about a week or so. It really just depends on how much rainfall we get and how much the grass is growing. But we make sure to move them from field to field to allow for the grass to growing them to get good nutrition on that grass.[00:12:58.570] - Shelby Terrell
Awesome. So I've known you for quite some time. I know how hard working and dedicated you are. What is a piece of advice you would give to future FFA members going into their high school FFA journey?[00:13:09.850] - Eme Tucker
Yes, I would definitely say do it all. Like be a part of contests, try new things, meet new people and like continue to work hard at it. Like, I can't tell you how many contests I've lost or I thought I was going to get higher score or do better at. And don't let that discourage you. Like, definitely keep trying, keep working hard because it will pay off.[00:13:29.150] - Shelby Terrell
Awesome. So the last question is, who inspired you to become the person you are today?[00:13:34.430] - Eme Tucker
Okay, that's a good question. Well, there's plenty of people that have played a role in making me who I am and like giving me what I have. But definitely my dad, because he's just shown me what hard work is. He's made me develop my love for farming and my love for animals. And just like having his work ethic and seeing his work ethic has definitely helped me with all my career options in life.[00:13:54.980] - Shelby Terrell
Awesome. Thank you so much for joining us today.[00:15:57.890]
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