What Can FFA Do For You?

One of my biggest regrets in life is not becoming a collegiate member of FFA after I graduated from high school. I was very involved in my FFA chapter as I served as chapter parliamentarian and vice president. During my time with FFA, I was a part of many projects, contributed to chapter development, and most importantly, I learned many skills that I am still using today. FFA is a great way to learn about agriculture as well as develop skills that are very useful in your future. Here is how FFA has helped me, and how it can help you.

Leadership. I was able to gain leadership skills through various projects and in my officer position.  In my officer position, I had to motivate members to get involved and to participate in chapter activities. I also had to be a role model to new members while introducing them to the FFA chapter and getting their feet wet in projects.

Teamwork. I was always working with other FFA members on many projects and activities thorough our chapter. I learned how to work with other people by working on chapter projects and coordinating chapter events. By working well with other people, we were able to accomplish a common goal and successful project.

Public Speaking. I was a very shy growing up and didn’t like speaking in front of large groups of people. I started by speaking to the chapter when announcing upcoming projects or activities at chapter meetings. I got a lot of public speaking practice at the chapter banquets through my officer position. I also competed at district and state competitions. Many of these competitions required me to present in front of a group of judges or other FFA members. With these experiences, I have become a better public speaker and I still practice those skills today.

Friendships. I met many people who shared the same interests as me. I met new friends at district competitions, state competition and other FFA events. I loved meeting new people and I enjoyed learning about what their chapters were doing for their projects and involvement.

The skills that I gained from FFA while I was in high school are skills that I still use today. I have applied these skills in my school work, class projects, and at work. Thank you FFA for helping make me who I am today. 

Learning to do. Doing to learn. Learning to live. Living to serve.  

FFA Week 2013

This week is National FFA Week, which is the week of February 16-23, dedicated to agriculture and the FFA Organization to create awareness to the public.

Here is a brief history behind FFA Week- This week is also the week of George Washington’s birthday, February 22^nd. George Washington is the official symbol of the FFA Treasurer. Washington was known as a great American spokesperson, one of the first, to create awareness. This is why FFA Week is tied to Washington’s birthday. 

Click here to view a great video from the National FFA explaining why we celebrate FFA Week.

It has been many years, well only 5 to be exact, since I have had the chance to celebrate FFA week with my chapter. At Alburnett High School, we started FFA week off with pajama day. There is no better way to spend your Monday at school than in your favorite pair of jammies. We also had a teacher breakfast which the chapter officers arrived at school early in the morning and cooked breakfast for all of the school teachers. It was a way to give appreciation and to say thanks to our teachers. Other activities included wear official dress day, wear blue and gold day, dress like a farmer day, and of course, drive your tractor to school day.

To end the week, we held a high school pep assembly. There were many games such as tug-o-war and hay bale toss. This was a great way to get the entire high school involved in the celebration of FFA Week. Here are some pictures of our FFA Week celebrations at Alburnett:

A couple of the tractors in the school parking lot for
Drive Your Tractor To School Day.

Dress Like A Farmer Day.

Giving thanks to the teachers at our school.

Teacher breakfast during FFA Week. 

A teacher competition during the pep assembly for FFA Week.

I really miss celebrating FFA Week with my chapter, and even more importantly I miss my blue corduroy jacket. To any of you FFA’ers out there, enjoy this week and make the most of it! Don’t be afraid to show your love for agriculture and the FFA. Share your knowledge and experiences to your friends and peers.

Happy FFA Week! 

On the 8th day...

It is the Super Bowl commercial that many people were buzzing about, including me. The Ram Truck commercial, "Farmer" aired during the second half of Super Bowl 47 and caught the attention of many viewers right away. The narrator was Paul Harvey who was a radio broadcaster for the ABC radio networks. Harvey, who passed in 2009, originally gave this speech at the National FFA Convention in 1978.

As a marketing student, I always pay close attention to the advertisements that air during the Super Bowl. This commercial caught my attention not only because I knew it was about farming, but because of the advertisement itself. It was not your typical Super Bowl ad. It had a narrator and only showed still pictures in a slide show format. It was attention getting and one that had the audience listening.

Ram Trucks along with Case IH have dedicated 2013 as “The Year of the Farmer” and kicked off this initiative with the "Farmer" commercial. More information about this movement can be found at: http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/keepplowing/

As someone who grew up and worked on a family farm, I believe that farmers need and deserve not only local recognition, but also national recognition for all that they do. Farm land is decreasing, yet production from farmers is increasing to meet the demands of a growing world population.

No Farms= No Food. Simple.

As part of their "Keep Plowing" campaign, Ram Trucks has declared 2013 the year of the farmer.

This commercial really hit home to me as it gave me the chills and a tear in my eye. “WOW,” was all I could think after watching that commercial. My Twitter and Facebook pages immediately exploded with friends and followers talking about this commercial and what it meant to them.

From my late grandfather to my father and other family members, I have seen how much hard work and dedication it takes to run a family farm. Many hours, days, and years of pouring their own blood, sweat, and tears into the daily tasks required to maintaining the farm. It is very labor intensive and is only for those who can work sun up to sun down, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, no vacation time, and no days off. Harvey said it perfectly in his speech, "So God made a farmer."

If you haven’t yet, please watch the “Farmer” commercial. This is what agriculture and farming is about. To watch, please click here.

Snow Removal: Farmer Style

Each year in Iowa, it is a no brainer that we can expect a large amount of snowfall to fall on us during the winter season. This year, however, was quite interesting. In early January, much of December’s snow had melted. By late January, we had highs up in the 50’s which took care of any remaining snow on the ground. The next day, we got hit with a pretty nasty ice storm. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any crazier than that, surprise, heavy rain showers and a lovely spring thunderstorm. Yes, a thunderstorm; thunder, lightening, and the whole nine yards. Okay, this isn’t so bad; maybe spring time is just around the corner, right? We were wrong. The very next day we got hit with 6 inches of snow! This is enough to give me a headache.

It is not a simple task to shovel a farm drive-way and the pasture drives. If fact, I’m sure it would be pretty close to impossible unless you had an army of friends to help shovel. So, how do we remove snow at The Young Farms? Farmer Style.

  

That’s right. We hooked the ‘ole International Harvester up to a giant snow blower. We, well I mean my dad, takes the tractor up and down the driveway at our house a few times until it is cleared, then he moves onto taking care the rest of the driveways on the farm. Doesn’t this make snow removal look fun? Especially in the warmth the tractor cab!

Welcome!

So here it is- the start of my very first blog. For how nervous I am, I am even more excited to get started talking about what I love, and to see where this takes me. So with that said, welcome to Brooklyn’s Backroad Blog! My focus of this blog will be on family farming and agriculture in Iowa. I have always been very passionate about ag, and I can’t wait to share my interests and experiences.

Bottle feeding Belle one summer morning. 

To start, my name is Brooke Young and I am a senior Marketing and Advertising student at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Now for a little background information so you can get to know me and my “rural roots”. I grew up on a family farm outside of the small town of Alburnett, Iowa. Our farm is three generations strong today. My house was built back in 1900 and many of our farm buildings were built in the 1920’s, including the barn, with the “newer” buildings built in the 70’s. It is amazing to me how buildings this old are still standing today. 

I began working on the farm at a very early age of 5 or 6 years old. My responsibilities included feeding the baby chickens or helping my dad bottle feed the cows. I would also walk the fields in the summer with my brother and grandma, collecting rocks in a 5 gallon bucket. In the fall and spring I enjoyed riding around in the tractor and combine with my parents, watching these huge pieces of equipment plant and harvest fields of crops. I would also go out with my dad on cold winter days before school in the morning and before dinner in the evening to bottle feed our calves. Despite the cold, that was probably my favorite chore of all! Other responsibilities I had on the farm included maintenance and upkeep. My younger brother and I were often assigned responsibilities together to paint the garage or barn, weed the garden, or mow the lawn.

As I got older, I was able to help with the “big kid chores”. We were given more chores that were more labor intensive. Before I even had a learners permit, I would drive the pickup around the hay field pulling the hay rack as my brother and dad collected the square hay bales off of the ground. We would then help unload all of the bales into the haymow in the barn. In case you didn’t know, the average weight of a square bale is between 70 and 100 pounds! Talk about a hard day’s work in the summer sun!

Feeding the chickens.

 This is where I come from, just a small, family farm in rural Linn County, Iowa. From bottle feeding the calves, feeding the chickens, collecting the eggs, to spending the day in the field, this is what I enjoyed, and still enjoy doing. Growing up I was never scared to get dirty or break a sweat. Although I refer to it as chores, it wasn’t chores. It was what we did, what we had to do, and a way of life. Stay tuned for more posts relating to family farms and agriculture in Iowa.