In this episode, we are joined by Vinton-Shellsburg FFA president Will McKenna!

Will and I are both incredibly passionate about the importance of teaching agricultural literacy to our youth and supporting our newer, and older generations of agriculturalists. In this episode, we discuss the recent changes in our schools ag. education program which opened up "new doors" for our middle schoolers. Along with that, we talk about the decrease in land used for agriculture and why understanding between our younger and older farmers is so vital.

So take a seat, zip that jacket, and dive into what's Beyond the Blue!

In this episode of Beyond the Blue, Izzie and I are going head first into getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.

More specifically, how to get the most out of your involvement, even if the awkward parts are holding you back. Along with that, we are talking more about how she has been able to utilize those skills in her career endeavors now. Lastly, we talk about her major in agricultural studies and how she's been able to apply her agricultural knowledge in college!

You don't wanna miss this!

In this episode, we are joined by my chapter's vice-president Ciara Dods!

Ciara joined FFA after being influenced (passive-aggressively forced...) by her sister who was also enrolled in ag classes. Initially, she wasn't as active. However, after signing up for her first LDE, she began to get more involved within the chapter.

In this sixth episode of Beyond the Blue, we talk about how FFA and our ag classes have impacted us and pushed us to be where we are today. Even though we both don't come from agricultural backgrounds, we both have found places for ourselves within the organization! Listen to this episode to hear more about our recollections from freshman year, advice to those who are thinking about joining, and some of our favorite– and not so favorite LDE's and CDE's!

In her beginning of high school, FFA was slightly out of Carlie's radar. But as she progressed through her freshmen and sophomore year, she made the decision to jump in and get involved. Deepening her involvement in the organization not only "gave her something to do", but has made her the person she is today, an agricultural business major who is passionate about the future of agriculture.

Throughout Carlie's time as an FFA member, she was a Citizenship committee chair, a two-year team AG sales member, and a competitor for individual AG sales. Besides those roles, she has, and still does, play a major role in the AG room and chapter. Whether it's by pushing members to do their very best, being a helpful hand, or giving you the advice you need to hear.

In this episode, we are unzipping her FFA story, the influences from her mentors, and what continuing agriculture after high school is like. However, the takeaways that she has pocketed in her years as a member and are sharing with us in this episode are a must-listen!

So sit back, relax, tuck that tallywacker in, and hear more about life Beyond the Blue!

As an FFA member, it often feels like you have a lot on your shoulders. Between homework, projects, and AET all concepts of keeping up get lost along the way. Finding the balance takes time, a whole lot of missing work, and often times, a break. Tune in this episode to hear my own experiences with burnout caused by this and the ways that I found to get myself out of that slump.

🌴 Joining FFA can be slightly nerve-racking when you don't know what you're jumping in to, especially when you're going from living in the busy state of California to rural Iowa. However, today's guest Juliana Luis wasted no time in getting herself involved.

🫂 Throughout Juliana's time as a member, she was not only the 2023-2024 co-reporter or the 2024-2025 economic development chair, but she was most importantly an encouraging, hardworking person who stood as a strong role model to many in, and out of our chapter.

✨ Today we unzip her FFA story, time as an officer, perseverance to get back out there even after not being re-elected, and the takeaways she absorbed from FFA that are helping her in her recent and future endeavors.

💙 So sit back, relax, tuck that tallywacker in, and hear more about life Beyond the Jacket!

In today's episode, I talk about the common misconceptions held by people that haven't been involved or haven't experienced anything within FFA. From an outside perspective, many people don't understand the significance of competing in LDE's and CDE's, and maybe even think national convention is a "vacation" for us. However, everyone involved in FFA knows the importance of these things, that's why I'm debunking some of the common things that I've heard or seen in my years of involvement.

In this first episode of Beyond the Blue, I talk about my journey that led me to zipping up the jacket. I started high school not knowing a single thing about FFA let alone agriculture itself, but since then, FFA has become a major part of my life and I go in depth about how it has changed me as a person and gave me a clear path to be on!

Stay tuned for more content!