Election of six-member team makes history at FFA convention

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Delegates wrote history at the 97th Illinois FFA State Convention with the vote to add a sentinel to the FFA officer team that now includes six members.

The 2025-2026 officer team elected during the annual three-day event includes: Natalie Pratt, president; Koben Tate, vice president, Ethan Bremmer, reporter; Kyle Bradshaw, secretary; Kaydance Wooton, treasurer; and Paige Sierens, sentinel.

President

“I think it’s going to be amazing,” said Natalie Pratt, from the Amboy FFA Chapter. “We are the ninth largest state in terms of membership in the nation, so we need that extra officer to open the opportunity to have more connections with members across the state.”

The FFA jacket for Pratt has always been a safe place.

“I would like to make sure every FFA member feels seen and heard,” she said moments after becoming the leader of the statewide organization. “So, if they need someone for a conversation or a firm handshake to make their FFA jacket a safe place, I want to make sure my newly forming team can be those people for them.”

Advised by Joe Heavner and Lexi Hilliker, Pratt also won the Extemporaneous Public Speaking Leadership Development Event during the convention.

“I love extemporaneous speaking — it’s my favorite,” she said.

Pratt’s FFA projects include agricultural communications where she did social media work for AgViewFS.

“I also worked for Illinois Farm Bureau and did videos called ‘Natalie’s Awesome Agriculture’ during COVID,” she said.

For her agricultural education project, the FFA president taught Discovery Agriculture classes to eighth-grade students.

“I had 12 to 20 kids and I taught them for 42 minutes, Monday through Friday,” said the daughter of Andy and Katie Pratt. “I did lesson plans, grading and everything in between that.”

After serving a year as the state FFA president, Pratt plans to attend Oklahoma State University to study agricultural education with a minor in agricultural policy for the career goal of becoming an agricultural teacher.

Vice President

As a high school freshman, Koben Tate went to the agronomy contest where the Section 11 officer team conducted opening ceremonies.

“The president was Rachel Hood and the following state convention she was elected state president,” he recalled. “That was the moment when I decided I wanted to be a state officer.”

“She gave me such a spark of inspiration,” the FFA vice president said. “She electrified my passion for agriculture and to make that impact on members.”

Tate thinks of Illinois FFA like a big puzzle.

“Every member comes together and has their own spot,” the Illini West FFA member said. “I want to help members find their spot in this organization and I also want to make connections with members.”

Advised by McKenna Merritt, Tate is involved with both cattle and sheep on his family farm near Dallas City.

“I own a few cattle and I also take care of our cow herd and help during calving season,” said the son of Aaron and DeeAnn Tate.

In addition, Tate has sheep for an FFA project.

“Awhile back, my brother Brockton had a crazy idea to buy a bunch of sheep so I helped to take care of them,” he said. “Then he asked if I would be willing to take the sheep off his hands and that’s how it went from a placement to an entrepreneurship record book.”

Although Tate is somewhat undecided about his college plans, he is thinking about attending the University of Illinois or Western Illinois University.

“I plan on majoring in farm business management and minoring in agronomy,” he said.

“Hopefully in the future, I’ll help run my family’s farm and work for a local company,” the sixth-generation farmer said. “I love that our farm is run with such a closely knit relationship with my family.”

Reporter

Ethan Bremmer is ready to meet Illinois FFA members and make an impact on their lives.

“From being a regular person in Section 1 FFA to now being the state reporter, it’s crazy to me,” he said.

“My brother was a big encouragement and he helped me figure out this was something that suited me well,” the Pearl City FFA member said. “Ben was the state treasurer two years ago.”

FFA has created many opportunities for Bremmer.

“I hope I can create the same impact others had on me, so members can have the same experience in FFA that I’ve had,” said the son of Chad and Deb Bremmer.

The state reporter works on his family’s grain and dairy farm.

“We raise about 700 dairy replacement heifers and about 3,300 acres of corn and soybeans,” he said. “For the dairy, I do maintenance of the freestall building, mix feed and manage the health of the herd.”

For the grain operation, Bremmer operates tillage equipment, the grain cart and now driving a semi-truck since he recently obtained his CDL license.

“If I didn’t get elected, I was going to be flying spray drones this summer because my brothers and I are starting a spray drone operation,” said the FFA member who is advised by Brighton Haverland.

Next year, Bremmer will attend Lake Land College and enroll in the John Deere Tech program. After completing his associate degree in applied sciences, he will be working at Heritage Tractor in Freeport.

“I will also work on my family farm because farming is in my blood,” the fifth-generation farmer said.

Secretary

Kyle Bradshaw enjoys spending time with FFA members.

“I’m so excited I’ll get to do that about every day for the next year,” the state secretary said. “The great leaders have inspired me and the thought that I get to be in those same shoes is still hard to comprehend.”

Bradshaw’s older brother is a former Section 13 president.

“He seemed to really enjoy it, but I didn’t fully know what FFA was,” the Pittsfield FFA member said. “I started high school during COVID, so my first FFA convention was the outdoor one, but seeing the officers on stage, I thought was amazing.”

Advised by Emily Friese, Bradshaw met a lot of great people through FFA events and activities.

“I knew this was the place I wanted to spend my time, but I wasn’t elected section president the first time I ran,” he said. “Then I came back the next year and I’m ever so grateful I did.”

In addition to a swine entrepreneurship project, Bradshaw also mowed lawns for his turf grass management project.

“I like putting a nice stripe in the yards,” said the son of Matthew and Lori Bradshaw. “For my grain placement project, I worked on my family farm and loved working with my grandpa.”

For his environmental sciences and natural resources project, the state secretary worked for his family’s manure application business that was started by his dad.

“I was the state winner with that project during my junior year in high school,” he said.

Bradshaw has completed one year at John Wood Community College.

“I’m studying ag business at the Fred L. Bradshaw Learning Center, that is named after my grandpa,” he said. “I’m going to finish my degree there and probably transfer to a university and hopefully come back to the family farm.”

Treasurer

“This is a feeling I can’t even describe,” said Kaydance Wooton. “Being on a team with my best friends again is such a blessing.”

The FFA treasurer was not sure if she was interested in serving as a section president.

“I went to the BUILD Conference my junior year and I had the amazing opportunity to have Thad (Bergschneider) as my table leader,” the Blue Ridge FFA member said. “The way he made me feel so included and a part of everything, I set the goal to be section president.”

Along with her goat production FFA project, the daughter of Chad and Dixie Wooton also has a dog-sitting business.

“My favorite book is outdoor recreation where I worked at the 4-H Memorial Camp as a camp counselor,” said Wooton, who is advised by Jacalyn Meisner. “It’s an overnight camp and it is interesting to teach the kids about agriculture and we do lots of fishing and go on ID hikes to identify plants and trees.”

Some of the kids ranging from 8 to 16 years old have never baited a hook or caught a fish.

“I have loved fishing since I was little,” Wooton said. “My grandpa and dad would take me all the time.”

Wooton’s future plans are to attend Oklahoma State University to major in agricultural education and minor in communications.

“I’m thinking I want to be an ag teacher, but my student teacher, Eliza Petry, majored in ag education and now she’s on the news, so I want that opportunity, too.”

Sentinel

Serving as the first state sentinel is a surreal feeling, said Paige Sierens.

“Knowing that I have this opportunity with these incredible individuals, there’s not a word to describe it,” the Annawan FFA member said. “It is not very often that I am speechless, but this is one of those times.”

FFA has been on Sierens’ radar throughout her childhood.

“My parents met through FFA so I always knew it was something in my future,” said the daughter of Gary and Beth Sierens. “As a section president this year, I saw the impact the state officers have and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”

The FFA sentinel plans to connect with as many members as possible this year.

“I feel that’s what makes this position the most rewarding,” she said. “I hope to inspire leadership and spark growth whether that’s increasing FFA membership or getting someone more involved.”

For her FFA project, the sentinel helps with raising hay on her family farm where they bale round and small square bales.

“I enjoy seeing the job well done at the end of the day and working with customers is the best part,” said Sierens, who is advised by Sarah Paige Tarr.

Job interview is Sierens favorite FFA activity and she competed in that contest three times.

“The most important thing is I had a lot of fun and I grew as a public speaker throughout that contest,” she said.

Next year, Sierens will attend the University of Illinois and major in animal science.

“Veterinarian school has crossed my mind,” she said.