Jordan Lippincott

State FFA Treasurer

2009-2010

September 10, 2009

            An anonymous writer once said, “Those memories that we impact can be remembered, those memories that leave an impact upon us will never be forgotten.” From the very last session in Selland Arena to each moment that I spend serving the members of the California FFA Association, memories will be forged that will leave such a lasting impact upon me that will never be forgotten. 

            After I was elected to serve the California FFA members, I headed back to those lasting memories from Escalon High School.  Soon after graduation I headed into my new life and moved into the California FFA Center in Galt to start my year of service. My teammates and I could not have been more fortunate to live in such a great place that is the California FFA Center. Not only is it an excellent learning environment, but also a warm, comfortable home setting and the perfect place to call my home for the next year.

            3, 2, 1… Blast Off! And that is what officially started my and the team’s preparation for the next year. Blast Off, Building Leaders and Strong Teams of Officers, kicked off at the California FFA Center when Seth, our trainer, flew in to Sacramento Airport and began living and teaching us for the next week at the FFA Center. With Seth at the Center, the team and I went through workshops and lessons to help us to get to know each other and become a strong team. One of the activities we enjoyed with Seth while he was in the Golden State of California was attending a Sacramento River Cat’s game. Gladly enough, the River Cats won and many lasting memories were created between Adrienne, Sam, Mikaela, Kaylyn, Tatiana, and me.

            On June 21^st we loaded up the van and took off on a five hour trip to San Luis Obispo for the California Agriculture Teacher’s Association (CATA) annual conference. From listening to speakers such as Mr. Ashwanden (Executive Director of CATA) to watching teachers, including my own teacher Mrs. Terpstra, receive awards like the Teacher of Excellence Award to speaking the with State FFA Advisory Board I learned many things about Ag teachers and just how many hours they put into their jobs. Ag teachers truly are the driving force of youth in agriculture and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of the work they do for the benefit of youth in California.

 From CATA, the State Officer team loaded up the van with Mr. Mayfield as pilot and Mrs. Mayfield as co-pilot, to head East all the way to Bryce Canyon, Utah for NLCSO (National Leadership Conference for State Officers). At NLCSO we met with the Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Alaska, and Utah Associations and were facilitated by National Officers Nessie Early and Hannah Crossen. At NLCSO we learned valuable skills we will use in the future to facilitate workshops, lead meetings, and received information concerning the 2009 National Convention. Also at NLCSO, the state officers enjoyed some extracurricular activities which included a hike down to bottom of Bryce Canyon and (the hard part) back up to the rim of the canyon. Also, on the way back to the Golden State from Utah our van took a detour to Arizona to visit the biggest hole I have ever seen in the ground, otherwise known to everyone else as the Grand Canyon. The van ventured around the rim of the canyon and stopped at rest stops where we saw elk, the National Geographic museum to watch an IMAX of the Grand Canyon and a lookout point where a Rainstorm soaked our entire team. From the Grand Canyon the van was loaded once more and pointed West towards Tulare to stay one night at Mikaela’s house before once again loading up the van to drive to Bass Lake for ROLC.

ROLC or Regional Officer Leadership Conference is held each year at Bass Lake for the Regional Officers from the six regions of California. Not only did the Regional Officers visit workshops from the past State Officer team, the Regional Supervisors, and the State Officers but the Regional Officers also got the chance to present recruitment videos and either a patriotic observance or theme presentation. Of all the presentations, the recruitment videos impressed me the most by not only their professionalism, but also the creative ways in which the Regional Officers worked to recruit members into the FFA. The Regional Officers also went through two sessions of team building and one of the most intense parts of the conference, the Regional/State/Advisor volleyball tournament. At the tournament the regions were pitted against each other in an all out brawl to see who would go to the finals to play the Advisors. The semifinal round concluded with a narrow victory by the State Officers Team over the Superior Region. In the end, the underdog State Officers upset all odds by defeating the Regional Supervisors and winning the ROLC Volleyball Tournament Cup. The last night of ROLC concluded with a luau-themed party on the beach of Bass Lake where the State Leadership Team had a fun night of limbo, dance, and acrobatics!

            Soon after ROLC, the State Officers and I were off again to prepare for our year of service. Starting of our college training tour, we traveled the road to UC Davis and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to meet with Secretary of Ag, A.G. Kawamura, and department heads from CDFA to discuss current agriculture topics and receive an overview of what role each department plays in the advancement of California agriculture. Soon after that we headed out to the bike capital of the world, UC Davis, where we meet with professors from hydrology to air quality. From CO₂ sequestration to the California water crisis, our brains were stuffed full of useful items to advocate over the course of our year. Our second college training was held at CSU, Chico where we met with Dr. Dodson and his crew to learn about facilitation in hopes of crafting our own interesting and intriguing lesson plans for upcoming Chapter Visits. After learning about great facilitation skills, we   were able to put them to use at Chico High School where FFA members participated in the three chapter visit lessons in which we had prepared. The next stop was to visit the home of the Bulldogs, Fresno State. At Fresno State we met with Dr. Rocca, Dr. Vaughn, and former National President Jackie Mundt where we studied and were introduced to media training to prepare ourselves for future interviews or telecasts. To make a great college visit even better, we ate lunch at the Dog House Grill, one of my favorite places to eat! Our last stop on our college road trip was Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. At Cal Poly we met with an assortment of professors who exposed us to everything from handout etiquette to media presence to applied learning characteristics. All in all, the college trainings were a great time to not only meet agriculture educators across the state, but also to get to know those leaders of our agriculture industry.

            The second portion of our training for State Office was to experience industry tours. At industry tours we visit with industry leaders and explore their production facilities to learn more about specific commodities, agriculture sectors, and the industry as a whole. Our first industry tour was with the Forestry Foundation. At the Forestry Foundation we toured a timber mill, spoke with a forester, got to watch a tree felled, and learned about forest management. Next, we headed to Bolthouse Farms. At Bolthouse we toured a carrot production facility and learned the ins and outs of vegetable production. Next, we ventured into Southern California and spoke with representatives from the Limoneira Company, and Valley Crest Tree Company where we learned about nursery and citrus production.  The next industry we visited was Foster Farms. At Foster Farms we toured a chick hatchery, walked on a chicken ranch, got a bird’s eye view eight stories above the ground on top of a feed mill, and saw the bustling innards of a packaging and processing plant. Our last tour was at the E.A.T. Foundation where a representative from the foundation took us to see a cotton field, siphon irrigation, instructed us about landscape management, and aerial crop dusting. Industry tours showed us the heart of the California agriculture industry and reminded me of the importance it plays in the lives of us all.

            Our next stop on the road was Orland in the Superior Region to visit the Superior Region SOLS. At SOLS, Jessica and her crew of Regional Officers put on both an educational and fun conference for the sectional officers of the Superior Region. Also, I attempted flipping on a trampoline (unfortunately, failure), watched as the Regional and Sectional Officers cooled off in the pool to beat the HOT Orland heat, and my team took a stab at winning the Football Cup. With a night sleeping under the stars, some awesome workshops, and great officers, SOLS was a success.

We then travelled to Pomona for Southern Region’s SOLS. Visiting the excellent conference put on by Chris and the crew of Regional Officers was truly a treat. Southern SOLS was full of fun and surprises as the sectional, regional, and state officers went through team building, workshops, and my favorite, time to for the State Officers to meet each of the sections in the Southern Region. Southern Region did a great job on SOLS and it was a lot of fun being there.

            State Fair is the final showing event for many exhibitors across California and it was here that we presented awards to many outstanding exhibitors. From the Sale of Champions to Junior Livestock Awards to Outstanding and Premier Exhibitors we witnessed many triumphs and successes for California agriculture.

 Our next stop was in the San Joaquin Region for the San Joaquin Region SOLC held at Exeter High School. This was a great conference facilitated by Amanda and the San Joaquin Regional Officer Crew! At Exeter we experienced officer-specific workshops, were able to take part in a very intense volleyball tournament (where, unfortunately, the regional officers dominated the state officers), and got thoroughly enjoyed some great meals form Exeter High School. Thanks for having us San Joaquin Region.

            Our last stop for this journal entry was at our first chapter visit. It was held in the Central Region at Pleasant Grove High School. It was great to visit the Elk Grove-Pleasant Grove FFA Chapter! At the chapter visit we had our first experience at teaching our three lessons of FFA Opportunities, Careers in Agriculture, and Agriculture Literacy. It was great meeting with all of the Pleasant Grove High School Students, sharing stories and eating lunch with them, and showing them all that the agriculture industry has to offer. Special thanks goes out to the Albiani and Quinn families for not only putting us up for the night, but also playing volleyball and bocci ball with us and educating us about all the great things that Elk Grove has to offer. It was great staying with you Riley, Karli, and Kyle!

Jordan Lippincott

California FFA State Treasurer