Odessa FFA member Abby Bertz is the new Missouri State FFA president.

Here are nine things you may not know about the FFA member tapped to lead more than 26,000 members during the next year. She plans to encourage others to step out of their comfort zones and advocate for agriculture.

She is a twin. Abby Bertz has a twin sister, Alli. And while Abby will attend the University of Missouri, Columbia in the fall, Alli will attend Kansas State University. Abby plans to study agricultural economics and Spanish and ultimately, work at an agricultural business firm after college.

DOUBLE IMPACT: The Bertz sisters grew up on the farm and in the FFA. They competed with and against one another. However, Alli Bertz (left) is heading to K-State in the fall, while her sister Abby (right) will attend MU.

Her college roommate will be the state FFA secretary. Bertz plans to room with newly elected Missouri State FFA Secretary Sydnee Mason of Marshall. Both young women hail from Area 6. The new state officer selection process allowed for more than one member from each area to run for office. 

EXECUTIVE ROOM: Abby Bertz will room with Missouri State FFA Secretary Sydnee Mason at MU in the fall. The two have been friends over the years. Bertz says they are looking forward to college life and serving together on the state officer team.

The state FFA office runs in the family. Bertz's uncle, Harold Bertz, was a state officer in 1989-90. He is the former Lexington FFA advisor. Her Aunt Melisa Bertz is the current Higginsville FFA advisor.

Bertz went to State FFA Camp before high school. Her first trip to Camp Rising Sun was the summer before her freshman year. "I was weird," she says. "I loved the leadership sessions." She credits the camp for helping her see the need to get involved in the organization. "I can't wait to go back as a state officer."

FAVORITE TIME: FFA camp was a favorite of incoming Missouri State FFA President Abby Bertz. She says it fueled her passion for the organization.

You can find her reading or writing. Bertz's favorite subject in school — other than agricultural education — is English. "I love to read and write," she says. "I immerse myself in different books." Her favorite book this year is "The Grapes of Wrath"; it "stretched my mind," she says.

She can run a 400. In high school, Bertz competed on the track team. Her events were the 400-meter single and the 4x400-meter relay. An injury sidelined her this year.

Her dad is on her fave phone list. Her first call with the news of being elected state president was to her dad. Abby Bertz was competing in livestock judging and could not attend the announcement. "People were texting me congratulations," she says, "but I didn't know what for." Then she found the one message with "president" and immediately called her dad.

She enjoys singing in the swine barn. "The Missouri State Fair is my absolute favorite time of the year — the smell of the barns, the livestock that exhibitors have loved and cared for all year, and the people," she says. "I will never forget sitting in the swine barn after a long day of showing with a few longtime fair and FFA friends, when several state officers from my week of FFA Camp walked in. They talked with us, they laughed with us, and we ended up singing our favorite country music songs in the comfort of the barn. I believe it to be the bonds set in this short time that [cemented] my love for the FFA organization, and my desire to be a Missouri State FFA officer was formed."

She believes memories matter. Over the years, Bertz had the opportunity to interact with many state FFA officers, like those who stopped by the swine barn. "These officers saw me as more than another FFA member, and spent their time with me," she says. "I hope to be what these state officers were for me for other FFA members during the next year. While I have been blessed with an incredible FFA career full of fun memories, it is a culmination of memories like these that will continue to drive me forward and stay with me for years to come."