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2006
State FFA Convention
a Success!
The
77th Annual Alabama FFA Convention was held May 31 – June 2, 2006, on
the campus of Auburn University. The opening session began at 2:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, May 31.
Ms.
Buffy Jones, winner of the ALFA Young Farmer talent competition, opened
with the National Anthem followed by Matt Barton, 2004-2005 State
President, delivering the invocation. The Past State Officers Alumni
recognized the 2006 Wall of Honor recipients. Parliamentary Procedure CDE
and the Prepared Public |
State Winning
Parliamentary Procedure Team from the Geraldine FFA Chapter with their
Advisor Mr. Terry Johnson, left. Presenting the award was Thomas Hall,
with AFC Management Services Department.
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Speaking awards were given
out to the winning teams and/or participants. Corey Flournoy, past
National FFA President, was the keynote speaker for this session. He
encouraged the members attending to use their talents and not be scared
to get out of their comfort zone.
The
second session began at 7:30 p.m. on May 31. National Chapter Award
recipients were recognized along with the Top Five Chapters in the
state. The State Officers honored their parents and advisors. Alicia
Butts from the Leroy Chapter was named as the Future Farmer/Agribusinessman
of the Year. Her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) included beef
cattle and horses. Kimberly Henderson, from the Enterprise Chapter, was
named the recipient of the Mindy Stringer Memorial Scholarship worth
$1,000. Stuart Joy, National FFA Western Region Vice-President,
addressed the convention with his speech. Proficiency Awards were given
for the following areas: Forest Management, Landscape Management,
Fruit/Vegetable Production, Nursery Operations, Turfgrass Management,
Diversified Crop Production, and Swine Production. Awards were also
presented for the String Band competition and the convention was
privileged to hear the sounds of the Enterprise FFA String Band, winner
of the 2006 String Band competition.
Nine
o’clock a.m. on June 1 marked the opening of the third session. The
Crime Prevention Awards were distributed recognizing the top four
chapters in the state which have crime prevention activities included in
their program of activities. Carmen Zirlott of the Hurricane FFA Chapter
was named the winner of the M.K. Heath Animal Health Award. Her animal
health practices on her farm with her horses and cattle won her this
honor. CDE awards were given for the following areas: Nursery &
Landscape, Floriculture, Forestry, Land, Poultry, Livestock,
Agricultural Mechanics, Agricultural Construction & Maintenance,
Safe Tractor Driving, Small Engines, and Creed Speaking. Proficiency
Awards were given for Agricultural Mechanics and Agricultural Sales
and/or Service. Six quartets vied for the top awards in that category as
well. That afternoon, students also had an opportunity to attend one of
many tours sponsored by the Auburn University College of Agriculture. |
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At the Thursday Night
Session (June 1, 2006) of the 77th Annual State FFA Convention, Governor
Bob Riley, the keynote speaker, was introduced by Matt Wilson, 2005-06
State FFA Secretary.
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The
fourth general session began promptly at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1.
This session boasted a keynote address from Governor Bob Riley. Governor
Riley encouraged the members to consider remaining in the field of
agriculture. The Governor also made reference to the amount of publicity
our state has been receiving concerning the nearly 75,000 new jobs that
has been created by the automotive industry plants locating in Alabama.
He also stated that we do not need to forget that one of the mainstays
of Alabama’s economy is agriculture, employing almost 500,000 people
in the state. The Star Farmers of Alabama were brought on stage and
Carmen Zirlott from the Hurricane FFA Chapter was named the Star Farmer
of Alabama. Her SAE included beef cattle, pecans, and horses.
Next, the Honorary State
FFA Degree was bestowed on some well deserved supporters. An appearance
of Melissa Moore, Miss Alabama Agriculture, was made. She brought a
message of the importance of agriculture to the assembly. Prizes were
awarded for the following Proficiency Awards: Equine Science, Beef
Production, Poultry Production, Home and Community Development,
Environmental |
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Science and Natural
Resources Management, Specialty Animal Production, Wildlife Management,
and other Special Area Proficiency Awards. Awards were then given to the
top four quartets in the quartet competition and the convention was also
privileged to hear the harmony of the state winning quartet from the
Ider FFA Chapter. There was a FFA dance at the close of the fourth
session for members to enjoy until 11:00 p.m. |
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The fifth
general session began at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, June 2. The State FFA
Degree Ceremony was one of the first items on the agenda. Around 160 FFA
members from across the state received their State FFA Degrees. Next,
the State Officers gave their State Officers’ Report to the convention
attendees.
The convention closed
with the naming of the 2006-2007 State FFA Officers. The new officers
were announced by the Nominating Committee Chairman, Paul Beasley, who
is the Agriscience Teacher at Gaston High School. The new officers for
the 2006-2007 school year are: President – Salora Wright from
the Lexington Chapter; Vice-President – Travis McGowin from the
Billingsley Chapter; Secretary – Brandon Smith from the Slocomb
Chapter; Treasurer – Jerika Buttram from the Geraldine Chapter;
Reporter – Justin Posey from the Montevallo Chapter; and
Sentinel – Caleb Colquitt from the Marbury Chapter.
The new
State Officer Team has since traveled to two training workshops. The
first was Blast Off, a leadership workshop held in Montgomery on June 6
– June 8, 2006. |
2006-07 State FFA Officer
Team: (L-R) President: Salora Wright, Lexington FFA Chapter;
Vice-President: Travis McGowin, Billingsley FFA Chapter; Secretary:
Brandon Smith, Slocomb FFA Chapter; Treasurer: Jerika Buttram, Geraldine
FFA Chapter; Reporter: Justin Posey, Montevallo FFA Chapter and
Sentinel: Caleb Colquitt, Marbury FFA Chapter. |
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This
was an FFA sanctioned training workshop, but Alabama includes all
Career/Tech Student Organizations (CTSOs) in the training: FFA, FCCLA,
HOSA, TSA, Skills USA, FBLA, and DECA. During the Blast Off conference,
the officers learned items such as: dinner etiquette, speech development
and delivery, how to address a group, along with various other
leadership activities.
The
State FFA Officers then traveled to Raymond, Mississippi to attend the
National Leadership Conference for State Officers (NLCSO). There they
were involved with a four day training program conducted by two of the
National FFA Officers. They were then trained and ready to conduct and
assist with the ALFA Youth Leadership Conference, the District Officers’
Leadership Conference, and the Chapter Officer Leadership workshops held
in the three districts across this state. They will also have
opportunities to meet with various public officials and become
spokespersons for FFA and agriculture in the State of Alabama.
Jacob
Davis is the Executive Secretary for the Alabama FFA Association. |
FFA
Events to Remember:
District
Officers Leadership Conference
June 30 – July
1, 2006 – Columbiana
North
District Chapter Officers’
Leadership Workshop
July 11, 2006 – Boaz
July 12, 2006 – Decatur
Central
District Chapter Officers’
Leadership Workshop
July 14, 2006 – Wetumpka
Alabama
National Fair
October 6 – 15,
2006
Alabama
National Fair
October 6 – 15,
2006 – Montgomery
National
FFA Convention
October 25 –
28, 2006 – Indianapolis, Indiana
(To
see further information about youth animal science activities in
Alabama, go to the following website: http://www.aces.edu/~rebert/.
This link will take you to the web page for Bob Ebert, Extension
Livestock Specialist, with the Cooperative Extension System.)
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