SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A legacy of producing state and national FFA leaders at Franklin High School was continued with the election of Collin Johnson, 18, as 2026-2027 Illinois Association FFA State Vice President. The son of Adam Johnson and Brooke Hild and a 2026 graduate of Waverly High School, Collin Johnson follows in the footsteps of Franklin alumni Thaddeus Bergschneider, who was Illinois FFA State President in 2024-2025 and FFA National President in 2025-2026. 

“It is not lost on me that Franklin FFA is continuing its legacy of producing FFA leaders at the state and national level,” Johnson said, crediting Franklin FFA advisors Kaitlyn Kane and Brent Nelson for the level of excellence characteristic of the school’s agricultural program. 

“Growing up in agriculture and aspiring to serve the industry long term, I understand how critical strong leadership and service are to the agricultural industry. As a state officer, I welcome the opportunity to help mold members and strengthen that foundation,” Johnson said. 

“Growing up in the sixth generation on my family’s farm, I’ve seen the true joys and discomforts of agricultural life. I was raised understanding the responsibility, resilience and leadership it takes to sustain both a family farm and an industry that feeds the world. I know FFA has the power to change and transform lives, because I lived it. I believe every student, no matter their background or experience, can find belonging, purpose and growth in this organization,” he added.

The recent Franklin graduate plans to attend Cornell University to study Agricultural Global Development and Policy. He encourages FFA members to take chances and explore new challenges and experiences in school and in life before settling on any one direction. 

“My message focuses on taking chances, not missing opportunities and believing in yourself,” Johnson said. “In order to be all you can be you’ve got to take chances on experiencing failure. I know so many times when I’ve talked myself out of opportunities. In order to achieve your dreams you’ve got to risk failure.”

Freshman Collin would never have envisioned Graduate Collin standing on the BOS Center stage and accepting the Illinois FFA State Vice President nomination, Johnson told Farm World. 

“I jumped both feet into all of FFA’s opportunities. As the years went by the opportunity to run for state office arose, and I decided to take the chance and not lose the opportunity. I’ve held that close to my heart throughout this whole process, and I guess it worked out pretty well,” he said.

His Section 14 SAE was in Grain Production Proficiency, which was good for a second place state finish in 2026. “This is something I’m really proud of because I put so much time and effort into it, so it was really great to see it be competitive at the state level,” said Johnson, who also was a state qualifier in Extemporaneous Public Speaking and Ag Sales. 

While Johnson is from a sixth-generation farm family, he is the first to don the blue jacket of FFA, he noted. “My family before me went to a school that didn’t offer FFA,” he explained. “Agriculture runs deep in my family but I am the first one to step into an FFA role, so I really am just carrying on the traditions of our past.”

When recruiting others to wear the blue and gold corduroy jacket, Johnson said he initiates the chat by referring to FFA as the premier youth leadership organization in the world. “If you want to set yourself up for success, FFA is your chance,” he said. 

Johnson credited some of his high school extracurriculars-- such as being a Key Club member, 

“My primary goal is to help all the members know that each and every one of them matter. Sometimes we get ‘imposter syndrome’ and we think that we can’t do something or we get too scared to do something. If we don’t take the chance, we lose the opportunity. In order to achieve your wildest dreams you have to step into the arena and take a chance,” he added.