Albany FFA officers attend state convention

Seven members of the Albany chapter of the Future Farmers of America and their sponsor were among more than 12,000 FFA members and guests that attended the 90th Texas FFA State Convention held on July 9-13 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, and another three members from Albany competed in the 2018 Texas FFA Rodeo.

Local FFA officers who attended the 2018 convention were president McKenna Wilkins, secretary Madison Wilkins, treasurer Tyler Beard, reporter Kaeler Russell, sentinel Cutter Edgar, and historian Rylie Scott. Joining them was Seth Hale, who qualified for state in Star: Chapter Degree – Agribusiness. 

The convention attendees left Albany on Monday, July 9 along with their sponsor, FFA advisor Chris Beard. They returned on Friday, July 13.

“The convention allows our current officers to broaden their horizons, get together with members of other FFA chapters, hear good speakers, and have some good entertainment at an end of the year event,” said Beard. “It also rejuvenates those coming back for the upcoming year, and helps them get knitted together as a group and motivated to go to the next level.”

New York native Liz Murray spoke about overcoming personal obstacles during the keynote address on Tuesday. 

Murray’s parents were addicted to drugs, and after her mother died when she was 15 years old, Murray found herself homeless. Instead of focusing on her problems, Murray said she was driven to strive and reach her dreams.

“You have two choices,” Murray said. “You can do something, or you can do nothing. It’s better to stop counting what you don’t have, and start counting what you do have.”

The speaker went back and completed high school in two years, even though she remained homeless, and then attended Harvard University. She is now working on a master’s degree in psychology at Columbia University.

A concert on Tuesday night featured Flatland Calvary.

Local FFA members spent the week attending leadership workshops, participating in activities, being recognized for their achievements, and serving as the legislative body for the Texas FFA Association, representing the 113 current high school members of the Albany FFA chapter. There are also 72 junior high students who have been supervised by Beard during the past year. 

“We are allowed three voting delegates,” said Beard, “I alternated who voted from session to session, so all of the kids who attended the convention had a chance to actively participate in the business meetings.”

The local FFA chapter was recognized as a bronze-level chapter in the Golden Horizon Awards, single-teacher division, at the state level.

Albany FFA also received the Superior National Chapter rating during the convention, according to Beard.

Seth Hale

Seth Hale was selected as one of six state finalists in Star: Chapter Degree – Agribusiness.

To earn the recognition, Hale kept detailed records and pictures of the effects of adding Mix 30, a high energy liquid feed, to the diet of his commercial steers. He went through three interview processes at the district, area, and state level. 

The entrepreneur is a distributor of Mix 30 and advises producers about the advantages of using the feed supplement.

State FFA Rodeo

Rodeo contestants Mady Connally, Landree Connally, and Addie Beth Denton hauled horses to compete in the first two gos of the rodeo on Sunday, July 8 and Monday, July 9. 

All three of the Albany FFA Rodeo Team members competed in barrel racing, but did not make it into the short go on Tuesday.

Denton also participated in breakaway roping, earning times of 15.350 and 3.550 on Sunday and Monday to take fifth in the second go and qualify for the finals with a total of 18.90 on two head. She had a “no time” on Tuesday, and placed 10th overall.

Denton tied her goat in 10.210 seconds on Sunday for 10th place in the first go, and 8.890 seconds on Monday for third in the second round. Her two-head total of 19.100 had her in sixth place going into the finals.

On Tuesday Denton placed fifth in the short go with 8.490, and took fourth in the overall average with 27.590 on three head.

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