“I now declare this Convention adjourned,” and that was it.
That started what has been a whirlwind of a year as a state officer of the
Texas FFA Association. I’ve met people all across Texas and the nation, had the
privilege to wear the blue and gold jacket one more time, but what has been
even more exciting is that I have had the chance to promote an industry and way
of life that has been near and dear to my heart for my entire life,
agriculture.
When my
family and I lived in Ericksdahl, Texas, (a small Swedish community in West
Texas) my dad was a farmer. He grew cotton, wheat and raised cattle on land
that was owned by himself and his mother and father. He worked the long days
that start before sunrise and end well after sunset, but no matter what we
always had a roof over our heads and food on the table. No, it was not a
glamorous lifestyle, we did not have a fancy house, truck or television, but we
were happy with what we had. Then in 1997 we all had endured one of the, “discomforts
of agricultural life.” There was a drought that ran from about 1995-1997, my
grandfather passed away a few years before that and a lower than normal cotton
and wheat crop made my father rethink his career. That year he started to work
as a crop insurance adjuster, traveling all over the Great Plains adjusting
wheat crops for Arm Tech, AgNet and USDA. Then after seeing a glimpse of the
insurance side of farming he decided to try his hand at that, so he and two
other individuals started a crop insurance company called AgCrop located in
Stamford, Texas, at an old grain elevator and storage facility. They grew their
business so that it now reaches from Brownsville, Texas, to Erick, Oklahoma,
and El Paso to Texarkana. He’s been an insurance agent for 14 years now and has
shown me what it truly means to work and live by agriculture even though it can
be extremely unpredictable.
Living
through not only the joys, but the discomforts of agriculture is why I believe
I have made it nearly full circle in coming to Texas A&M to study
Agricultural Systems Management and even become a Texas FFA State Officer. I
have figured out through these hardships, that I have the upmost respect and
passion for agriculture. Most people go after things that bring fame, that are
glamorous or have an enticing appeal about them, but I love agriculture because
it was not meant for the faint-hearted. Only from the things you cannot control
will you receive the greatest reward.
After watching my dad be at the mercy of
the weather and cultivate his livelihood with his own hands, did I then realize
how awesome this profession was. Nothing in this world is as pure as growing a
crop that will not only benefit you, but serve those around you as well. In
Hebrews 13:16 we are told that we should, “...not neglect to do good and to
share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” What better way
is there to serve your neighbor and give to a worthy cause than to feed and
clothe them? That is truly why I wanted to be an FFA State Officer and be active in agriculture. I want to continue a culture that
shows the true values of this country and the way we were supposed to live.
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