Richmondville woman nominated for national FFA seat

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·2 min read

Oct. 31—Richmondville resident Hannah-Rose Foote attended the National FFA Convention last week as a finalist for a National FFA officer position.

Foote, a senior at SUNY Cobleskill, was one of the top 20 finalists to vie for one of the six officer spots — four regional vice presidents, a secretary and president, she said in a March interview. The New York FFA Association nominated her on March 4.

The primary responsibility of a national officer is to serve the organization in local, state, national and international activities in a way that will inform, motivate and inspire FFA members, advisors, state staff, teachers and others to achieve the mission, strategies and core goals of the organization, a media release said. National officers dedicate one year of service with the organization, representing student membership during meetings with the National FFA Board of Directors, facilitating workshops that bring leadership and knowledge to FFA members, delivering motivational speeches and serving as advocates for FFA on a global scale.

In high school, Foote served as the Cobleskill-Richmondville FFA sentinel and president. She was the state secretary from 2020-21, which was the end of her senior year of high school and the first year of college. She was also selected to play in the FFA Band at the National Convention that same year, the release said. Students can stay in FFA up to four years after high school, but they cannot compete in contests against high school students, she said.

A future in agriculture studies has been on Foote's mind since she was in ninth grade when her class hosted a field trip of elementary school students, the release said. She joined the FFA, "making a name for herself by competing at the state convention in the area of food science and taking home a silver medal," the release said. That culminated with her delivering an oral presentation in front of 30,000 spectators at that year's National FFA Convention.

In the spring 2022 semester, she completed an internship at Fonda-Fultonville Central Schools, observing agricultural teaching methods and guiding students through their studies.

In addition to her candidacy for a national officer position, Foote also received her American FFA Degree at the convention. It is the highest degree achievable in the National FFA organization. It "demonstrates the effort FFA members apply toward their supervised agricultural experience and the outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement they exhibited through their FFA career," according to the release.

FFA, or Future Farmers of America, held its 95th convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, from Oct. 26-29. Foote was not chosen as a national officer.