After Paxton Dahmer finished giving livestock reasons, his FFA advisor took him aside. There in the halls of the University of Missouri Trowbridge Livestock Center, the Nevada, Mo., FFA member learned he was the next Missouri FFA president.

His advisor, Bryan Gast, was proctoring the state livestock judging contest. “It was pretty cool to come from someone who helped you so much to get there,” Dahmer says. He had to wait until later in the day to celebrate with his second advisor, Joshua Mareth. “They both invested so much time in me,” Dahmer adds. “It was great to share the experience with them.”

The moment was one he had been dreaming about since the seventh grade.

TEAM FOCUS: The Nevada, Mo., FFA livestock judging team earned top honors during the state convention. Team members include Braden Ast (left), Paxton Dahmer, Alexandra Gast, Payge Dahmer and Kelstynne Pettit.

Inspiring a passion
Dahmer comes from a legacy of involvement in agriculture and the FFA. Growing up on a farm in southwest Missouri, he learned about the organization as a kid.

“Both of my parents were involved in the FFA,” he says. “My older brother was involved as well, so I heard all about it.”

Dahmer was destined to be an FFA member. But in the seventh grade, he became determined to be a state officer.

“I went to convention to watch my brother receive his state FFA degree,” he recalls. “I listened to the state officers give their retiring addresses and reflections. I saw how the FFA impacted them. I saw how their words impacted members. I wanted to be someone who impacted others.”

Aha moments
Two experiences proved instrumental in preparing for the new role as state president.

After Dahmer’s first year in FFA, he attended the Helping Youth Maximize their Agricultural eXperience (HYMAX) Academy. “Dr. [Robin] Horstmeier is a huge advocate for FFA and agriculture,” he says. “She taught us that the best way to advocate for our industry is to tell our story.”

For Dahmer, it meant sharing the FFA story with other members: stories like his first FFA camp experience. “I didn’t like it,” he says. “It just wasn’t my thing.”  But his advisor convinced him to go one more time.

So last year, he returned to Camp Rising Sun and became camp president. “I had a great time,” he says. “You need to go into activities with a positive mindset. You can meet a lot of new people.”

Dahmer says sharing a personal story often opens the door to a much larger conversation. Never did he imagine advocating beyond his own chapter until he attended Washington Leadership Conference.

During the conference, there was a “Poverty Dinner.” Individuals came and sat in different areas of a large room. Food was passed around; some received more than others. Dahmer was in the last group, who waited and watched as others ate. “It really showed me how there are people going hungry in the world,” he says. “I know agriculture can feed the world, but we have to tell our story of how we can.”

READY TO SERVE: Nevada, Mo., FFA member Paxton Dahmer was named the 2017-18 Missouri FFA president during the recent state convention in Columbia, Mo.

Drawing on experience
This year, he will focus on making connections with members and helping them develop the skills needed to share their own FFA and ag stories, whether locally, statewide or internationally.

“As a team, we want to really get to know our members,” Dahmer says of his 15 fellow Missouri FFA state officers. “We are here to listen to their stories. Then we hope to inspire them to tell others.”

For Dahmer, the task of talking to others and convincing them to become active may be a little easier; after all, the Nevada FFA member can give a set of livestock reasons. He missed just 6 points on the reasons and answering questions portion of the contest. The Nevada FFA livestock team won the state contest. And Dahmer received high individual honors.

It is likely he will always remember the halls of Trowbridge during the 90th Missouri FFA Convention. It was a place that brought a successful end to a year of standing inside and outside livestock pens, evaluating animals. And it was where Dahmer learned he would stand center stage at the convention, tap the gavel, and begin serving as Missouri FFA president.