Maine FFA Advocates in Washington, DC

The Maine FFA state officer team traveled to Washington, DC, for the 2024 State Officer Summit this summer. The Summit is a five-day training event during which hundreds of students representing all 50 states, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Ricoengage in conversations about leadership, agriculture, and advocacy. This experience prepares the state officer team and the Maine FFA Association for a successful year.

While in Washington, D.C., students strengthened their understanding of federal policies related to agriculture, connected with agricultural leaders, and served as delegates for upcoming FFA Committee work. After building their knowledge, the officers met with Senator King and staff from Congresswoman Pingree and Representative Golden's offices.

Outside of training, students learned more about American history and took advantage of all that the nation's capital has to offer. Julia Pierce, a 2024-2025 State Officer, shared, "State Officer Summit was a great experience. It provided many opportunities for the officers to work on advocacy in the FFA. Some of the activities we got to take part in included a night tour of all of the Monuments, visiting the Holocaust Museum, and one of our favorites- touring Arlington National Cemetery."

As the team reflected on their experience, many reiterated the importance of connection to their peers. Julia added, "We had the privilege to talk to officers from all over the US and see how different FFA can be in other places. We were able to make lots of new friendships and learn new skills that we hope to use in the future."

During the State Summit, two of Maine's officers were assigned Committee roles as part of the delegate body at this year's National Convention. One of Maine's delegates, Lane Carmichael described his experience: "State Summit was an opportunity to expand our horizons as state officers. We were able to step up and realize that although Maine may be smaller than others in membership, we can still have the same impact on National FFA."

The Maine FFA was able to send all six current state officers to Washington, DC, this year thanks to the generous support of local sponsors, Maine Agriculture In the Classroom, and the National FFA Organization.

The Maine FFA is a student-led organization focused on premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. State Officers represent the Maine FFA throughout the 2024-2025 school year and work closely with local FFA chapters. For more information about the Maine FFA Association, please visit https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/ffa or contact Emily Doughty, State FFA Liaison, at [email protected].