FFA State Degree winners make chapter involvement a priority

    It takes time and commitment to meet the requirements of the Nebraska State FFA Degree.
    Three members of the Imperial chapter earned that honor this year, and were recognized during the virtual convention earlier this month. They were among 580 members earning the state degree in 2021.
    Alexis Richmond, Lindsey Mendenhall and Morayah Cupp all earned the state degree this year.
    Imperial FFA Advisor Jason Speck said all three are very active members of the chapter, and have been all four years of high school.
    Earning the state degree requires a profitable Supervised Ag Experience (SAE) project along with chapter involvement and community service.
    Each of the girls’ SAEs is different, but all met the minimum $3,000 earned or invested over the four years in FFA.
    The state degree also requires 25 hours of community service and a set minimum of “activity points” gained through participation in district, state or national contests, serving as a chapter officer and work on FFA committees.
    Speck said most members are able to hit the 500-point level in two years if they are active in the chapter. The hardest part, he said, is accumulating the 150 points (of the 500 total) that must come from competing in district, state or national contests.
    The past year, due to COVID-19, the point level was lowered, Speck said.
    “But, all three of our members were well above the 500 points anyway,” he noted.
    In a normal state convention year, the state degree recipients walk across the stage in Lincoln to be recognized.
    This year, being virtual, state FFA officers put together a slide show during which pictures of the state degree winners were flashed across the screen as their names were read.
    Here is a short recap of each member’s SAE project:
    Moe’s Mobile Coops is Morayah Cupp’s SAE, and went all the way to win this year’s Nebraska FFA State Star in Agribusiness award.
    She rents out chicken coops that can house four to six chickens, which are also provided, allowing people to harvest their own eggs or to give youths a project that builds responsibility. Due to COVID and the price of eggs, Cupp has seen an increase in requests for her coops, Speck said. Cupp is also the chapter’s vice president, and on the state championship Ag Marketing Plan team this spring.
    Lindsey Mendenhall’s SAE involves raising Golden Retriever puppies. She breeds the female, then sells the puppies. Speck said she also does some obedience training with her dogs. Mendenhall was part of the 2019 national champion FFA parliamentary procedure team. She currently serves as the Imperial chapter treasurer.
    Alexis Richmond, 2020-21 president of the Imperial chapter, developed her SAE by working at her uncle’s business, Jeff Olsen CPA in Imperial. She performs office duties there involving tax work and computer entry. She was also part of the 2019 national champion FFA parliamentary procedure team, and, outside of FFA, also served the past year as the state FCCLA president.
    Along with other member awards, Imperial’s three state degree recipients will be recognized locally at the annual Imperial FFA banquet on Saturday, May 1.