Organizations with a history of support are a staple of the agriculture industry. This staple has been present in Kentucky agriculture and present in my own development. The support of these organizations is far reaching and effective on an individual level, but in the form of partnerships a new level of impact is attained.

In my high school career, I was able to be involved with Mercer   County FFA as well as Mercer County Farm Bureau. On an individual level my experience in FFA provided an environment to develop premier leadership, personal growth, and career success.

This development started in the form of competitions such as parliamentary procedure and milk quality. In the act of completing and preparing for such competitions my capacity for public speaking and critical thinking was expanded.

Even with these areas starting to grow up in me, I hadn’t had an opportunity to utilize these new skills outside of my FFA atmosphere. With the Kentucky Farm Bureau Outstanding Youth speech contest, that changed.

At the county and district    level, my competence in public speaking and speech writing was sincerely put to the test. As an FFA member primarily operating within the county level, I developed skills through this organization and was able to practically apply them to the opportunities that Kentucky Farm Bureau provided.

Now serving as a Kentucky State FFA officer, the partnership between these two organizations has taken on a different light but is still very apparent. Within the confines of my role, myself and the entirety of my team has a grounds to apply skills that we have developed and in this new stage, Kentucky Farm Bureau is working to train our group of young agriculturalists even further.

In August the Kentucky FFA and 4-H state officer teams were invited for a day of interview and advocacy training. These areas are a large part of our year of service and thanks to this day of growth both teams are able to be more effective in their respective roles.

In my own life, the partnership of Kentucky FFA and Kentucky Farm Bureau is evident. Much of my professional growth has been the direct result of this partnership. When writing a speech or advocating for a topic in our industry I am reminded of the investment that these two group have placed in my life.

Every FFA member is blessed by the opportunity and sponsorship that Kentucky Farm Bureau provides. The long-standing history of support is continuing to be upheld and improved by this impactful organization.

This may come in the form of opportunity, training, or advocacy. Kentucky FFA is thankful for the valuable partnership that we have with Kentucky Farm Bureau, a staple of the agriculture industry.

Jonathan Pinkston

2021-2022 Kentucky State FFA President