Wallaces Farmer

Iowa FFA members meetIowa FFA members meet

Iowa FFA members from across the state gathered in Ames to celebrate achievements during the 95th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference.

Jennifer Carrico

April 25, 2023

7 Slides
People packaging meals

SERVICE PROJECT: Iowa FFA members package soy-based meals for the annual service project with Meals from the Heartland during the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference in Ames.Photos by Jennifer Carrico

The 95th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference was held in Ames, April 16-18, to help celebrate Iowa’s FFA members through contest, awards, workshops and networking. The leadership conference attracts more than 6,000 FFA members, advisors, parents and guests each year.

Sam Martin, the 2022-23 Iowa FFA president, from the Davis-Rodgers FFA chapter, dropped the gavel during the first general session. Following opening ceremonies, he welcomed everyone to the conference.

Students participated in the annual service project with Meals from the Heartland, packaging nearly 250,000 soy-based meals to be distributed to the hungry in Iowa and abroad. FFA members also heard from several inspiring speakers, including a keynote from Chris Norton, a Bondurant, Iowa, native who suffered a spinal cord injury while playing for the Luther College football team.

Chapter delegates elected the officers for the 2023-24 year. They are:

  • President. Holly Schmitt, South Winneshiek FFA, Calmar

  • Secretary. Lauren Beyer, East Buchanan FFA, Winthrop

  • Reporter. Emma Humphreys, Columbus FFA, Columbus Junction

  • Northwest vice president. Jaydee Bremer, Sibley-Ocheyedan FFA, Sibley

  • Northeast vice president. Annabelle Newton, Vinton-Shellsburg FFA, Vinton

  • Southwest vice president. Collin Bauer, Audubon FFA, Audubon

  • Southeast vice president. William Vlasek, Cedar Rapids Prairie FFA, Cedar Rapids

  • North central vice president. Josephine Kelly, Nevada FFA, Nevada

  • South central vice president. Elizabeth Hadley, East Union FFA, Afton

These officers will travel across the state of Iowa speaking with FFA members, presenting leadership camps and workshops, as week as traveling around the United States representing the organization.

About the Author(s)

Jennifer Carrico

Jennifer Carrico

Editor, Wallaces Farmer

Jennifer lives on a farm near Redfield, Iowa, where she runs a small cow-calf operation with her family. A 20-plus year ag journalism veteran, Jennifer has covered a wide range of agriculture issues. A graduate of Iowa State University, she has worked for local daily papers and other agriculture publishers. She came to Wallaces Farmer from the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. She enjoys writing, managing cattle, and hearing and telling farmer stories.

Jennifer has two children. Kassidy, 21, attends Black Hawk East College, but will transfer in the fall to Oklahoma State University. Son, Klayton, attends Panorama High School where he excels in academics, sports, FFA and 4-H.

“My favorite part of being an ag journalist is to tell the story of the farmer and rancher,” she says. “The farmer and rancher do the work to make the food, fiber and fuel for everyone. I want to use our online presence to broaden that message to those off the farm.”

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