By Gianna Gonzalez, State Secretary
The state officer team kicked off our August adventures at the California Youth Ag Expo in Tulare. During our time there, we watched the various livestock shows, presented awards, and even helped run the ‘Farm to Fiber Fashion’ show!
After our time in Tulare, the team loaded up and headed south to the Southern Region Section Summit. At this two-day conference, we met many FFA members while participating in workshops, team building, and FFA Olympics. We spent another weekend in the Central Region engaging and connecting with the seven sectional officer teams serving their region, all eager to learn more about leadership.
Next up… the Superior Region Chapter Officer Leadership Conference! The team headed up to Nevada City and connected with chapter officers during their time at Shady Creek Camp. Rounding off the month of August, we took a trip to the San Joaquin Region for their Sectional Officer Leadership Conference. This one-day conference presented our team with new ideas, friendships, and a better understanding of the members of San Joaquin Region.
What’s FFA without its supporters?! The officer team had the opportunity to tour the Blue Diamond Growers facility in Salida, where we learned more about the almond industry and its global impact. We even got to take some almond snacks home with us! Fun fact: California supplies 80% of the world's almonds! Next, we made our way to American AgCredit in Oakdale, where we learned more about ag loans and the financial support their organization provides to farmers across the state. Another day was well spent at the Morning Star tomato processing plant in Williams, where the team learned about the entire process tomatoes go through—from truck delivery to testing the final product in the lab at the Morning Star facility. Our last stop this month was UC Davis, where we toured their College of Agriculture and learned more about the amazing opportunities available to students, both on and off campus.
The State Officer Team took on a special project this month by collaborating with Wilco for FFA Forever Month. We created engaging videos to promote California FFA on Wilco’s social media during the State Officer Instagram Takeover on August 23. Through FFA Forever Month, Wilco partners with FFA to support chapters with grants. Since the program started, Wilco has raised over $2 million for the California, Washington, and Oregon FFA Associations.
August was full of adventure and new experiences, and we can’t wait to see what September has in store as we gear up for chapter visits!
