Talking with Tyler: Minnesota, Japan, and FFA Week in Virginia

March 6, 2008

Really, it has actually been 131 days since my teammates and I were elected to office in October?

Wow! Time has passed so quickly. It seems as if only yesterday we were on stage, then we were in training, then touring California, then in Delaware, and now we are over one third through the year. What all has happened since our trip to "The First State"?

After returning from Delaware in early January, our team headed to Minnesota to meet with Cargill and Corporate Vice President, Jerry Rose. Mr. Rose is serving as the current Chair of the Sponsors' Board. While with Cargill, we visited their headquarters, met with staff and executives, and had some fun in NASCAR simulations with Mr. Rose himself! After finishing our Cargill tours and meetings, Becky and I stayed in Minnesota for more visits, while our teammates headed out to other states.

Becky and I visited several businesses that either currently support FFA or are interested in supporting the nation's largest youth organization. We had an absolute blast touring the state, visiting businesses, and even met some of the Minnesota State FFA Officers! After our week came to a close, we headed back to Indianapolis, Indiana for Ag Ed In-Service and the National FFA Board of Directors Meeting.

Jumping ahead to just after our meetings in Indy, we were off to the land of the rising sun: JAPAN! The trip was great; we ate sea urchin, octopus, squid, eel, and more 'great' stuff. We spent the weekend with our very own host families, toured some amazing sites, visited with businesses (Toyota, Mitsui, Yanmar, etc.), sang karaoke with some locals, and had a great time doing it all. After our ten days were up in Japan, we headed back, on a twelve hour flight, to the United States.

After returning, some of my family came up to visit me in Indianapolis as I prepared for National FFA Week in Virginia. As I departed my Hoosier state for Virginia, I said good bye to my family and hello to friends and fellow FFA members in "The Commonwealth."

During FFA Week, I visited quite a few chapters, met with Southern States Cooperative, visited Virginia Tech, saw some awesome historical FFA markers, spoke with a past national officer from 1943, and really enjoyed the company of some inspirational FFA members. It was awesome to see how alive and rich the traditions of Virginia FFA are and continue to be.

So... now that we've basically caught up to today, what's next?

I'll head to Washington, D.C. on Sunday after spending Saturday with Marysville FFA in Ohio. Then, I'll be on the road for quite some time. Check back in to see how D.C. and Marysville went, and find out what is next!

Your fellow FFA member,

Tyler