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Right after we paused things in Utah, I flew to Washington, D.C., at 2 a.m. In Washington, I was reunited with three of my teammates and we had a great few days attending the Agri-Pulse reception, meeting with the House and Senate ag committees and even meeting the European Union equivalent of a Farm Bureau president.
She mentioned their headquarters in Brussels and later that night I found a wholesale ag chemical company that also has its headquarters there. It might be a post-national office trip, but it’s on my bucket list.
I visited an FFA chapter near Baltimore and then headed to Tennessee. Out of all the conventions I’ve been to, they have had, by far, the richest agricultural tradition.
The Tennessee commissioners of ag and education both serve on a committee to elect their new state officers and then danced on stage later that week.
I was also reminded of the legacy of FFA. An ag teacher there gave me a stamp cache. I’m not an expert, but it’s pretty neat — 25th FFA anniversary stamps, first day of use, stamped in Kansas City during the 1953 convention and restamped this year with a Tennessee stamp.
After Tennessee, well, life happens. Two weeks ago, I was playing basketball and trying to dunk on a slightly wet court when I fell and hurt my wrist.
I tried toughing it out for a day, but an X-ray proved it to be broken. That’s led to a whole bunch of new struggles, embarrassing moments and fun interaction.
At the Massachusetts state convention, I had to learn how to button my dress shirt and tie a tie mostly one handed. I promise, it’s harder than you think.
On a foundation visit with Merck Animal Health, an executive was kind enough to reach out his fork and help me cut my steak while I was struggling.
While walking on the streets of Boston, a random lady asked me if I needed help tying my shoes.
I’ll be going into surgery tomorrow, as I’m writing this, and handling it has been a new obstacle. But this whole national officer year has been a leap of faith and sometimes you fall hard — literally.
I’ve been forced to slow down a little, take kindness — and a helping fork — from new friends and appreciate the little things.
In the future, there’ll be more adventures — hopefully, less broken bones.
Thaddeus Bergschneider, a former member of the Franklin FFA Chapter in west-central Illinois, is the 2024-2025 president of the National FFA Organization.