COLUMBUS, Ohio – In late September, over 250 Ohio FFA members attended the FFA Ohio Legislative Leadership Conference at the Ohio Statehouse.

The conference featured a morning workshop with Ohio Farm Bureau Federation representatives who touched on various topics.

“The Ohio Farm Bureau spent the morning with the students talking to them about advocacy, how to use their voice, and important issues in agriculture and agricultural education,” Ohio FFA Program Manager Katy Endsley said.

Following the hands-on morning workshop, students took a break before lunch. Some chapters took advantage of this time to meet with their local state legislator. Each chapter’s teachers set up these meetings.

FFA advisers prepare students for the event by ensuring they know who their Ohio state representative is and encouraging them to participate in all the sessions actively.

“We tell them to make sure they are volunteering and talking during the activities when the conference asks them to talk,” said Matt Griffith, East Clinton-Great Oaks FFA adviser.

The opportunity to participate in the conference exposes students to agriculture issues and the legislators who shape policy.

“Students become more aware that ag policies are important and they see the people at the statehouse making those decisions,” Griffith said. “They know who to get a hold of when something comes up locally or who they can talk to if they want to make a difference or be heard.”

During lunch, in the Ohio Statehouse atrium, students heard remarks from Ohio Rep. Don Jones (R-95th district) and Ohio FFA president Anna Moeller. Following lunch, many teachers scheduled additional visits with state legislators to engage students in policy and leadership conversations.

Endsley pointed to the important life skills students develop through the Ohio Legislative Leadership Conference and other FFA events. “We talk about advocacy, we talk about finding their voice, we talk about how to communicate effectively, how to be professional, and how to have a conversation,” she said.

Ohio FFA chapter advisers selected members from around the state to attend the conference. Each chapter was limited to a maximum of four students.

East Clinton first offered its chapter officers the opportunity to attend the conference, with the intention that they would represent the chapter and learn leadership qualities to pass on to younger students.

“We also like our officers going and learning about policies currently going on with agriculture as they can then pass that information to our other students and community at other functions,” Griffith said. “We like them representing us, so our chapter president, secretary and sentinel were the students who attended. Students also get credit on state degree as a leadership requirement, so we use that next in our selection process for students who need it for a state degree.” 

Sydney Beiting, Tessa Terrell, and Karsyn Jamison represented East Clinton.

“Our state officers spent a week in July at a State Officer Summit; an event in Washington, D.C., where state officers from all over the country gathered together,” Endsley said.  “We are gearing up to attend the National FFA convention in October, in which those state officers and delegates will have the chance to reconvene and talk about the organization’s future and discuss important issues that the students have determined. Of course, staff gather at those events too, and throughout the year.”

Ohio FFA’s collaboration isn’t limited to other chapters, the Ohio FFA Foundation fosters partnerships with business, industry, and education to prepare and support its members.

“I think there’s a great relationship working together across different organizations and realizing that we all function better and work together as a team,” Endsley said. “We have a lot of collaboration and a lot of really great teamwork.”

Working with businesses, industries, and state agencies, FFA chapters stress the three-circle model of leadership, experiential learning, and classroom instruction. “The three-circle model is at the core of what we do,” Endsley said.

Ohio FFA membership is on the rise. The 2023 annual report shows that Ohio FFA has nearly 30,000 members representing 329 chapters, taught by over 500 educators.

East Clinton-Great Oaks has 100 high school and 35 middle school students in its chapter and is very committed to growing leaders, building community, and strengthening agriculture.

“Our chapter is a national gold-rated chapter and we have two national teams this fall competing at the national convention in dairy and parliamentary procedure,” Griffith said.