Manawa FFA officers Jody Wentworth and Ellen Field attended the Wisconsin Association of FFA Half-Time Leadership Conference held Jan. 9-10 at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Stevens Point.
The conference provides FFA chapter leaders from around the state the opportunity to set goals and prepare for the second half of their year of service in their local FFA chapters. Over 450 FFA members, advisors and state FFA officers participated.
The FFA members attended workshops focused on leadership and personal development, membership and chapter development, and opportunities in FFA. They learned about preparing for FFA events and getting involved in community service.
The Half-Time Conference has an over 29-year tradition for Wisconsin FFA members to bring top leaders together to assist in leadership development.
This year’s leadership conference was designed and conducted by the 2014-215 Wisconsin State FFA Officers. The theme of the conference was “Recipes for Success.”
“Half-Time is one of the premier leadership conferences in our state and designed by student leaders. It allows FFA chapter leaders to develop their leadership skills, learn more about FFA activities and meet people while having fun,” said Cheryl Zimmerman, state FFA executive director. “We are able to provide young people with an excellent experience to develop their leadership skills and get them excited about agriculture, agricultural education and the FFA so they can build their local programs.”
FFA advisors were also busy during the weekend as they attended training sessions in the areas of meat animal quality assurance, award applications and other key issues in agricultural education. Teachers were also involved in the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators (WAAE) board and committee meetings.
The Wisconsin Association of FFA comprised of 250 local chapters in high schools across the state prepares over 19,000 students for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.
FFA activities and programs complement instruction in agriculture education by giving students practical experience in the application of agricultural skills and knowledge gained in classes.
FFA’s mission is to develop premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.