By Melanie Orozco, State FFA Reporter
It certainly feels like a party for the state officers, who have been traveling up and down the state for expos, seminars, tours, SOLCs, chapter visits…and even baseball games! 
The month of August kicked off with our team attending a Giants vs Dodgers baseball game, where we had the opportunity to cheer for our favorite team alongside many FFA members. As a state officer team representing the entire state, the team rivalry was intense! We enjoyed making memories with many new FFA friends.
Next, we traveled to the California Youth Ag Expo in Tulare, where we were amazed by the California 4-H and FFA exhibitors who competed against one another with their beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs. We had the best seat in the house as we worked the show ring in every arena and recognized supporters who helped make the expo possible. Our team also had the privilege of opening the limousine doors for the hard working members who were honored with luxury transportation after advancing to the champion drive.
Mid-August we traveled to Chico State and Fresno State to participate in leadership training seminars. During these training sessions, we learned helpful facilitation and classroom management skills from each university’s Ag Education team. We also learned how to become better advocates—to make our voices heard on issues that are important to agriculture. We had the opportunity to put our training into practice when KSEE47, the NBC affiliate in Fresno, interviewed our team about our journey within agricultural education. These clips will be a part of the channel’s regular “Eye on Ag” segment.
Our officers continue to stay updated on the agricultural issues throughout the state by participating in various industry tours. This month, we visited Buzz’s Bees in Oroville, Chico Locker & Sausage Co. Inc. in Chico, J.G. Boswell Company in Corcoran, and Rancho Esquon, a 900-acre farm in Durham that also provides habitat for wildlife. We continue to be amazed by the diversity of agriculture here in the Golden State.
Sectional Officer Leadership Conferences (SOLCs) are happening across the state. This 
month, we attended conferences in the Southern, San Joaquin, and Central regions and had a blast! We served alongside regional officers, like Roberto Lopez, Central Region President. “SOLC was an experience that not only helped the sectional officers develop their leadership qualities, but as a regional officer, it also helped me learn about the members I serve,” Lopez said. The regional officers did a fantastic job hosting these conferences.
Our state officer team has been preparing for upcoming chapter visits by fine-tuning the workshop content we will share with chapter members. Workshop topics include professionalism, agricultural literacy, and maintaining the heart of an FFA chapter. We have begun our visits, traveling to chapters in Corcoran, Lodi, Pleasant Grove, Patterson, and Hilmar. Without a doubt, August has been an exciting and eventful month. We look forward to what the next month will bring!
