BOZEMAN — A sea of blue corduroy swarms MSU’s campus and the Gallatin County fairgrounds this week as thousands of FFA members attend an annual Agriculture Expo.
Mackenzie Serrano, Riley Larson, Jaylea Lunceford, and Kyelynn Coombe have been FFA members for six years.
“It’s not just for the farmers and the ranchers. Premier leadership is a big deal, and it can be useful in any field,” says Lunceford, whose FFA roots run deep.
“I got the opportunity to have my father as my ag teacher, which is super cool, so I grew up being a part of FFA,” says Lunceford. “For me it is generational.”
All the girls plan on pursuing careers in agriculture. They say FFA has set them up for success.
“We have interview skills and networking skills,” says Serrano.
Coombe says it doesn’t just stop there.
“The connections and experiences we get in FFA will help lead us into our futures,” says Coombe.
Today, over 1,700 FFA members from around Montana were at the MSU student union to further develop their leadership skills.
“Through leadership workshops, and they get to compete in career development events,” says Morgan Kuntz who is the FFA director of development.
The event is called the annual Ag Expo and it’s a pretty big deal according to Riley Larson.
“This is the 11th annual Ag Expo,” says Larson. “It’s where I started out and it was my first big contest. It’s a great way to make those first connections through FFA."
Kuntz says FFA is the biggest school organization with over 6,000 members across Montana.
“FFA is as strong as ever and it is still growing,” says Kuntz.
Lunceford, Serrano, Coombe, and Larson say they will be encouraging their future children to join FFA.
“It’s not a choice,” says Lunceford jokingly.
