001What is up everybody? Fork up here. Welcome back to the Clear Water Sports Talk podcast. Farming simulator. We're coming for you today. Not very sporty, but very far agriculturally. Today we got the FFA people in here today. Got a few of them um from FFA. We have Landon Schill and we have Lily Steiner today to chat to us about FFA. Um we got a few questions for them. Um Landon, start us off. Uh what is FFA and why did you decide to do it? So FFA is an agriculturalbased uh club that's uh it's going to allow everybody to build their future in something if you're even if it's not farm related. You get to learn bunch of like leadership skills uh mostly a related things. So a mechanics but I mean you can do sciences
002everything along those lines. I started an FFA because I grew up in an agricultural background. I live on a farm. got cows and I've been just kind of trained. So, this is just something that fit into my lifestyle very well. >> What about you, Lily? >> Um, I agree. I've kind of grown up with it a lot. Um, I'd say our chapter is more community- based more than anything. We're not really into a lot of the contests, although we're growing to become more based off of contests and we want to go to state for a lot of things, but community is our number one priority and making sure everyone is involved is a great thing. So chapter I heard you guys use that. Uh what is does is that mean just like clear water is
003the chap like this is is that chapter is that kind >> So it's like it's like a club that's just the FFA name for a club. >> So like this is the Clearwater chapter is our >> Okay, that makes sense. >> Um so what do you do specifically um in FFA? >> So I am the Clearwater FFA secretary. So I keep record of attendance of our officers, chapter points, and the involvement of our members and all the events that we have going on. And so we just have everything so much going on. And so it's really good to have someone keeping track of all that. And I'm really good at keeping everything organized and good for Van Allen to keep record of. >> What do you do, Landon? >> Uh I'm the vice president. So,
004I I make some of the bigger decisions on what we're going to do, uh, where we're going to go with the future of our chapter. Uh, I leave most I delegate a lot of tasks to other people. That's pretty much my main job. >> Yeah. Um, who is the president? >> Uh, Kayn. >> Um, so you you mentioned Miss Van Allen. Um, kind of talk about Miss Van Allen. like how is she as a teacher and how do you uh how do you like kind of uh like how does she how does she kind of form you in FFA and how has she helped you? >> Uh I'd say Miss Van Allen is one of the only reasons that the FFA chapter in Clearwater is so prosperous that it is she puts so much time
005and effort into everything that she does. I mean, yeah, with the amount that she puts in there, I couldn't imagine even trying. I mean, it's four times more than I put into calculus. >> Yeah, >> it's ridiculous. >> How about you, Lily? >> Um, she really just makes sure everyone is seen, heard, and just active in everything. Whether you're doing sports or other extracurriculars, she cares about your well-being, and that's what matters the most. Yeah, I've taken uh her a mechanics class and her animal science class and I find that she is very very patient. Uh very patient. Uh many people in the a mechanics class weren't aren't like into the agricultural stuff. They're just doing it because they kind of have to or they're they're just interested. >> Um and me I was terrible.
006I wasn't great and I got better at it and she was very definitely like patient and was very helpful. Um but my welding and beating and just that was horrific. My woodwork was okay, but pretty horrific. Um, but animal science was great and I really appreciated that kind of a new experience and she definitely was patient with people in there who may not be interested in it but knew that they had to do it and it was a very great class. >> Yes. >> Um, but you kind of spoke about competing and stuff. So like uh you've been to conventions both of you. Um, kind of how are uh the conventions and like what does a day at a convention kind of look like for FFA? So at state convention there are how many sessions
007are there? I think four >> four four or five sessions and it's basically watching the state officers and getting uh awards and things like that and then uh we have chapter delegates uh selecting our state officers and things like that throughout and they so they attend special sessions uh to watch them grow as people as well and that's very fun to do. You want to talk about national? I was I was going to talk about I mean nationals is the same pretty much the same setup just at the national level. >> So you just have all of the state representatives that voted for the national >> leaders and then >> I wanted to talk more about the networking available. I mean it's it's nationwide that you can talk >> to somebody who might live in
008Iowa or something and you you can connect on a level that you both were in FFA and you do the same things. So, it's really cool to be able to network with people that you probably will never see again, never have seen, but you can already just walk up to them and just have a full conversation. >> Yeah. Kind of having that connection through FFA and being able to meet new people, whether you'll, like you said, talk to them again or not, but just knowing that right away you have something to talk about and can definitely help each other for the long run. >> Um, would you say you enjoy the state or the Nationals more? >> Nationals is pretty cool. I mean, they have a pretty decentsized budget and they've got some crazy stuff
009going on up there. Yeah, >> it's a lot of work to put in nationals. Um, I will say I think I like state convention more though because it's just more it's just more like home and there's like >> they have like the little laser light show thing going on. So, it's so fun to watch. >> You just don't like all the traveling. Is that what it is or >> I don't know. The nine-hour car ride is difficult to sit through, especially when you're sitting on a >> on a the buckle the seat buckle. >> Not ideal. Not ideal. >> How did that How did that go? >> Oh, I that was me. I just Yeah, we were like stacked four because somebody didn't want to sit in the back. >> Oh, no. >> Yeah. >>
010So, what did you take to get go up there? Was it Indianapolis? >> Yeah. >> Just one of the normal yellow buses or was it >> Suburban? >> Oh, >> yeah. >> So, not even a charter bus, nothing. Just a Suburban. >> No, we had every single seat in that thing. >> One of our Suburbans. >> Yeah. >> Oh, wow. >> Yeah. >> One of the nicer ones, though. >> I mean, it was nicer. I wouldn't say it was the nicest one. We could have We could have taken a nicer one for sure. >> Yeah. Um, but throughout doing all those conventions and contests, uh, what's kind of your favorite memory or like a funny story? >> Oh, well, I've got I've got a few. Uh, what should I should I touch on the the
011homeless one or the >> Yeah, that one's really funny. >> Solid one. Uh, so this one we were at a Farm Bureau meeting and we were we were just attending to keep up with what was going on in our community and they had a meal and me and Broen and one of my a ambassador friends Trey from Andale, he was there and we we were all sitting down. We listened to the first bit of the meeting. They release us to go get food. So, we go through the buffet line. We come back. We eat it. And then they like, "Okay, anybody who wants seconds, go ahead and just go go eat and go get another serving." So, we went and we got another serving. And we're scraping the bottom. Like, we are scraping the bottom
012of what's left. >> We don't need any of this extra food, but we're like, "Ah, it's not it's not going to go anywhere better." >> Knowing you and Broen, I ask. >> Right. Right. >> And so, we're like scraping. We got like mounds of food of our on our plate. We take like the last couple slices of pie and like walk back to our seats and we're chowing down on this and then they're like, "Thank you everybody for" and then it kind of wraps up or it's wrapping up and they're like, "Okay, thank you everybody for coming. All of the extra food is going to go to the Witchaw homeless shelter." >> Uhoh. >> Oh well. Um, well, you can't just put dump it back in the buffet line. And I'm like, and I like
013turned and like kind of like side eye Trey. Trey didn't hear it. He didn't hear it. I'm like, "Dude, the extra food was going to the homeless." And he's like stuff in his face. And we just like make eye contact. And they're still like an important business meeting. Like they're trying to discuss like the the final version of their um balance and budget for the next year. And me and Trey are about to bust out laughing as loud as I ever have. And then I make contact with Broen and he's looking at us like we're dumb. And I like look at Broen. I'm like the food. It was for the homeless. And he goes I've never seen his eyes go so wide, bro. It was crazy. And then we're all sitting there turning purple sweating
014so hard trying not to laugh. It was that was great. >> Did anyone come up and talk to you like I hope you enjoyed all that food or? >> Uh no. Thank you. >> But you finished your plates, right? >> Oh. Oh well. I could >> I mean you could not. Yeah. >> Yeah. Exactly. I know some of our table members were less than pleased with us because we were trying so hard not to laugh. >> I had no idea what was going on. >> Yeah. >> What about you, Lily? >> Um, my story's not as funny, but uh my first national convention was my sophomore year and so >> we got a flat tire in the parking garage. And so Wyatt strips down to his white shirt and his black pants and he gets
015his shirt all dirty and he's under the car and those suburbans do not have like good jacks. So he has to hand crank it all the way up and then realized it was in the wrong spot. So he cranks it all the way down and all the way back up again, gets the tire off, gets the spare back on, and then they asked me to find a a tire shop like genuinely cheap, you know. And I didn't realize that they could not speak English. And so Van was like, "Lily, you sent us to somewhere sketchy." And I was like, "I'm sorry." And so Wyatt uh was like, "Yeah, we did had we just paid them and they fixed our tire." Yeah. >> So, >> not as funny, but >> was it cheap? It was good.
016>> Yeah. It was like $50. >> It worked. >> Yeah. It was worth it. >> Didn't fall off. >> Yeah. >> And that worked. >> You made it home. Was it so was this like as you got to the convention and then you drove like back home that day or >> so this was I think convention day two and so we still had three days left of our trip. >> How is it staying in the hotels? I I guarantee that's definitely fun, right? >> Oh, I mean it's pretty pretty awesome. They we got pretty lucky last year. We got one of the nicest hotels I've ever been in. We got our little mini fridge, a whole kitchen, whole couch, pull out couch, like a whole seating area, TV, big living area. >> Yeah. Two king-siz
017beds. And you get to the lobby's pretty full. I mean, we were playing some card games in the lobby and just talking to some people. So, it was cool. >> That sounds great. That sounds like a really great time. Um, so Landon, um, being a senior and all and being in a leader role with FFA and doing it for so long, I'd assume, um, that you do have a future plan at continuing FFA or like something to do with agriculture in college. Is that true? >> Uh, not as true as I'd like it to be. I'm trying to find my path currently. I think what I really uh aspire to do is something with uh mechanical engineering kind of like I want to be a NASCAR engineer or like an F1 engineer or a trophy
018truck engineer, you know, something along those lines because I mean everything that goes onto your vehicle comes from those higher level competitions. The suspension on your truck comes from a trophy truck. The aerodynamics >> from your car come from F1. I mean everything everything about your car comes from those higher level competitions. >> Yeah. I mean being a part of that would just be extremely fun. being able to travel and have uh your own drivers and just be able to build that relationship and then help them with their car. That just sounds great. Honestly, that does sound like a really fun job. I've never thought about that, but like if I was into that, I think that was in FFA and into a I think that would definitely be something I'd look at too cuz
019>> that that is that'd be really cool, especially F1 because you could travel over the around the world. >> I mean, I don't know what I'd have to do to get there, but I'd love to try. >> Get that passport and let's just start going. Yeah. >> Um well, I can ask you the same question. You are a junior. Um, >> yeah. >> Do you at this moment before you hit your senior year, you know, you obviously don't have to have it all figured out, but do you have uh a goal at continuing in a when you reach college? >> Um, I plan to continue continue down the a business pathway and hopefully become an appraiser or into the accounting business and just really help out with those financial decisions that farmers have to make
020because that's tough sometimes. >> Do you guys have dream colleges you'd want to go to? >> Uh, I don't know. I'm trying to find the cheapest one. Honestly, I'd love to go to I'd love to go to K State. >> Yeah. >> But and we've got a I've got a house over there in the Manhattan area so I wouldn't have to pay for the dorms and everything, but >> I was I was surprised to say NDSU or something like that. Do they not do they have a good program over there? >> They have one of the best obviously. I mean, >> but everything's the best. >> Got the expenses now. >> Yeah. I don't I wouldn't have a place to live there and that's that's a bit bit of a drive. >> Being homeless wouldn't
021be too bad, huh? >> Maybe not. >> Living out of your car. >> I could live out of my car. Nice truck. >> Yeah. Not the roomiest. I don't know. Probably wouldn't be able to lay out very long. >> Yeah. What about you, Lily? >> Um I think I'm planning on attending K State, but if I had to go anywhere, I'd probably go go somewhere warm, >> you know. >> I I have seen a lot um about K State and how it has a really good a program and since it's so close, I mean, that's definitely a great option for people. >> Um and I know I've heard BOSAD talk about the great a program there and I've heard Miss Van Allen talk about it. Um, so I would assume that many people if they
022want to stay close at home and many people do, they're just like KState is a great option. >> Yes. >> Um, >> I mean with instate tuition and everything, it's hard not to go. >> Yeah. And I'd assume I love KU, but I'd assume KU does not have a good one. >> They're not the best. I think they're more focused on those higher education kind of like doctor. >> Yeah. And I think it's also has to do with kind of like where you're at and within where the college is placed. Like WSU is kind of more tech and like because we're all like here and uh KU is more like hospital like doctor and that because they have like a lot of hospitals out there in Kansas City and the Missouri area and then Kates's
023around like Lily. Yeah. >> All the a stuff. So >> they have I think they have their own little section of Kate. >> I don't know what is it called? >> Aggieville. >> Well, not that that's the >> that's the downtown. That's I I mean I know >> they do have their >> have their downtown area, >> but uh I don't know what it's called, but they have they have a ranch, so there's a big I I don't know how big it is. I know it's pretty large scale and they've got cattle, horses, sheep, and then it just allows everybody to actively engage in what they're going to do. It's pretty cool. >> I've never been to Manhattan, never been to Agil. Never been to any of it. I mean, it's not I mean, I
024I always say I'm not a big fan of K State, but like >> I mean, I wouldn't mind going there. Why not? Seeing what it's all about, seeing what all the hubhub is out there. >> Um, but yeah, I've had I've been interested from uh what is it? Manhattan Christian, >> that college, but they're like smaller than here. >> Yeah. >> So, I was like, it's like literally going to K State, but just have Manhattan Christian on the label basically because you take a lot of classes there. >> So, I was like, I think I'm going to pass on this one, but I appreciate the offer. >> Um, and I just didn't want to, you know, be up there, but I want to go. Like I want to see what all the hype's about up
025there, you know, cuz I've heard so many good things about the area and how fun it is >> and the difference between there and like Witchah or like Lawrence. >> I I think it's just cuz it's such a college town. I mean, the entire thing is just based completely around K State. >> Yeah, I think I wish kind of more like that a little bit more. >> Um, but KU and like Kate, like Lawrence and Manhattan are definitely like that. >> And I think it's really great that it's like that. But >> thank you guys for coming on. Appreciate you guys time. Thank you guys for telling us about FFA and uh >> thank you guys for listening. Catch you in the next one.