November 26, 2025 • 27 mins
A blue jacket can change a life. We sit down with Michigan FFA state officer and MSU agribusiness student William Rogers to trace how one classroom broiler project became a launchpad for leadership, real business skills, and a clear career path in modern agriculture and the poultry supply chain. From public speaking nerves to state office, William breaks down the steps that built his confidence—and why those same steps create standout talent for integrators, suppliers, and agtech teams.
We unpack what FFA looks like now: an intracurricular program where Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) act as living resumes. William’s diversified livestock and crop projects taught record keeping, marketing, and financials using AET, the kind of data literacy that translates directly to farm management software, compliance, and precision ag tools. He explains how sales is really about relationships, how meeting procedure shapes executive presence, and why learning technology works best with hands-on mentorship—whether that’s drone mapping, equipment operation, or live budgeting.
This conversation shines a light on inclusion and opportunity. You don’t need a farm to find a home in FFA; photography, mechanics, research, logistics, and marketing all connect to agriculture’s ecosystem. We explore leadership conferences, the power of community service, and the mindset employers prize most: a willingness to learn and a willingness to work. If you’re a parent searching for a path for your student, a hiring manager looking for doers with initiative, or an alum ready to give back, you’ll find practical ways to plug in—from local alumni groups to statewide events and national summits.
If this story could help one student find direction, share it with them. And if you enjoyed the show, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it along to a friend who needs to hear what FFA can unlock.
Hosted by Brandon Mulnix - Director of Commercial Accounts - Prism Controls
The Poultry Leadership Podcast is only possible because of its sponsor, Prism Controls
Find out more about them at www.prismcontrols.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brandon Mulnix (00:28):
Welcome back to the Poultry Leadership Podcast,
the show dedicated to exploringthe strategies, mindset, and
experiences that elevate leadersacross the poultry supply
chain.
Today we're going to dosomething a little different,
but incredibly important.
We're looking forward to thefuture leaders of our industry.
We often talk about executivepresence and boardrooms, but
where does that journey trulybegin?
(00:49):
For thousands of influentialprofessionals in agriculture, it
starts with a blue jacket.
That's right.
We're talking about nationalFFA organization.
And my guest today is a primeexample of the impact FFA has.
William Rogers, a dedicatedstudent at Michigan State
University.
William is currently navigatinghis agribusiness studies as he
(01:11):
joins us with firsthandexperience in developing
leadership, public speaking, andreal-world agricultural skills,
all thanks to his time in FFA.
Whatever you are, whether youare FFA alums, a parent, a
mentor, or a CEO looking to hirethe best new talent, this
conversation is for you.
We are diving into the corevalues of FFA, exploring
(01:33):
William's view on what trueleadership looks like in action,
and discussing how youthorganizations are directly
shaping the skill sets needed torun the complex poultry
businesses of tomorrow.
So let's stop talking aboutwhat leadership was and let's
start talking about whatleadership is becoming.
Welcome, William.
William Rogers (01:49):
Thanks for having me.
Brandon Mulnix (01:50):
William, I know I caught you in the middle of
doing homework and I reallyappreciate you joining us on the
show today.
Can you do me a favor and justtell the audience who William
Rogers is?
All right, I am William Rogers.
William Rogers (02:03):
I'm the 2025-2026 state vice president
for Michigan FFA.
I'm from Celine, Michigan,which is right under Ann Arbor,
and I'm very happy to be hereand happy to represent the
poultry industry today.
Brandon Mulnix (02:15):
Well, thank you.
So how did you get started inFFA?
William Rogers (02:18):
I got started in FFA because Mr.
Meller, which was my agteacher, he came to our middle
school and started talking aboutit.
And I didn't really know whatit was.
I didn't even know I had familythat were in it ahead of me,
but he started talking about thebroiler contest and how he
raised chickens in theclassroom.
And I thought that soundedpretty good to me rather than
doing homework just to be ableto raise chickens, which is
(02:39):
something I already did.
It really interested me becauseit was, you know, something I
wanted to put my future into wasfarming and raising animals.
But did you grow up on a farm?
I did not grow up on aconventional big farm.
I had a farm family and wassurrounded by a lot of people in
my community.
But for myself, I just raisedmy own animals for the fair, did
a little bit of small time likeanimal breeding and growing
(03:01):
plants, like growing pumpkins,popcorn, and gourds.
Did a lot of my own things.
Brandon Mulnix (03:05):
And with all of this FFA stuff, how do you go
from being probably a member ofthe Sleen chapter to vice
president of the Michigan FFA?
William Rogers (03:14):
Yeah, so everyone's path is really
different.
Mine is kind of interesting.
So, like I said, I started anFFA because I wanted to do the
chicken project.
I did not see myself as apublic speaker or as a leader or
anything like that.
My teacher, this is like astep-to-step process, but my
teacher, he uh encouraged me andsaid I needed to participate in
public speaking.
So I tried it my first year andI worked really hard on it.
(03:36):
And I made all the way to stateconvention and got fourth in
the state as a freshman.
Then I decided I really likedFFA and I want to keep working
hard and getting better andimproving leadership.
And I would not be even talkinghere if I wasn't forced to do
the public speaking back thenbecause I would be too nervous.
But then I ran for chapterofficer, became chapter
reporter.
And then the next year, Mr.
(03:56):
Miller encouraged me that Ineeded to run for regional
officer this next year.
So I said, all right, I guess Ican try it.
And then I ran for and I gotregional sentinel.
And then that same spring, Igot chapter vice president.
And I very much enjoyed both ofthem, even much so, so that
next time I was going to be thenext spring running for regional
(04:16):
officer again.
And I became regional presidentand chapter president.
So I just worked my way up andI just loved FFA and loved every
minute of it, wanted to keepgetting better and better.
And then came state office,which was the scariest one so
far.
And Mr.
Meller said that he thought Ijust really had talent with
being a leader and trying toencourage others and being a
part of agriculture.
(04:37):
So he really wanted me to tryit.
And I tried it and I ended upmaking it on the team.
I think it worked out reallywell that way because I have so
far been able to talk to a lotof students across the state and
hopefully got them a lot moreinterested in agriculture and
FFA as a whole.
Brandon Mulnix (04:50):
Well, William, it's interesting because I go
back to you were talking aboutas a freshman, you were forced
into public speaking.
And I can't even imagine doingpublic speaking when I was a
freshman, being embarrassed,standing in front of class,
caring what my peers thought,all that stuff was so that was
way more important to me thanwhat a teacher's saying about
public speaking.
That's crazy.
So, way to listen to teachers.
(05:11):
Is there any other really keyinfluences that people that
really mentored you as you grewthrough this process?
William Rogers (05:19):
Oh, yeah, there's there's plenty of
people.
I also had another teacher,Mrs.
Lepresto, who my last yearhelped me through state office.
So she just encouraged me tokeep on going, even without
having Mr.
Miller anymore, which was mydriving force.
I had a 4-H leader, MaryHammer, who encouraged me
through all of it and taught mea lot about agriculture and
taught me how to be more of aleader.
Both of my parents supported methrough all the years and uh
(05:42):
told me I could do anythingpretty much and told me that I
was capable of it.
And then Ryan Rowe was the CTEdirector, the consortium
director at Celine for thecounty, and he encouraged us all
to you know participate inthese different CTE programs and
get more involved in all thatstuff.
So there's been a lot of morepeople besides that, even I just
those are the ones that are offthe top of my head.
(06:03):
There's there's so many peoplethat come into it.
Brandon Mulnix (06:05):
Well, listeners, I get to, you know, be on this
Google meet with this young guy.
And man, the passion he has forwhat he's talking about and the
people, it really shows wellbeyond his age.
And so let's get into a littlebit more about what FFA is.
Can you just broadly tell mewhat's FFA?
Right.
William Rogers (06:23):
So the National FFA organization is pretty much
just a melting pot of peoplefrom all different backgrounds
representing agriculture and allthe different areas.
So we focus on premierleadership, entrepreneurship,
community service, and manyother areas.
Students across the state andacross the nation all have their
own SAE projects where they getto record what they are doing
(06:44):
and what they're interested in,become better at it.
And they also get toparticipate in contests all
across the state, whether it'sleadership or skills contest, to
become better and have personalgrowth throughout the year.
So FFA is pretty much can be amixture of everything, and it's
whatever you decide to put yourinterest into.
And ag education is bigger thanjust you know a farming club.
(07:05):
It's an intracurricular thingthat involves school and
involves, you know, learning andbecoming smarter in your area.
Brandon Mulnix (07:11):
So that is interesting.
You use the term melting pot.
And this last summer, man, itmay have been last winter even.
Um, I got to attend the stateconference here and just see the
melting pot.
Students that I would havenever imagined just all coming
together, different races,different sexes, different
(07:31):
everything, different, I mean,statuses in the school, so to
speak, jocks, and I meaneverybody was there for one
purpose.
And that was FFA.
And I don't think I've been ata conference like that where
I've seen so many students justunbelievable speeches,
unbelievable presentations,unbelievable teamwork when it
(07:53):
came to Robert's rules of orderor running a meeting.
Heck, I learned some thingsthat I took back to my village
council to say, hey, you knowwhat?
Why aren't we doing it the waythose young kids are?
It makes sense.
And so all of these things arejust so important.
You mentioned the term SAE.
Can you explain what that is?
William Rogers (08:09):
Yeah, so SAE is a supervised agricultural
experience.
And what that is, is prettymuch a record of your project
and it's your own FFA project,whether it's making honey from
honeybees or growing your ownvegetable garden and selling the
vegetables, or if it's workingat a local tractor mechanic
shop.
It can be pretty much anythingthat involves foundational SAEs,
(08:33):
placement SAEs, andentrepreneurship.
So whether it's you're learningsomething, whether it's you're
working somewhere, whether it isyour own business, or whether
you're even researching aproject, it can be pretty much
anything that you find interestin in it, many different topics.
Brandon Mulnix (08:48):
Give me an example of one of your favorites
that you did during your time.
William Rogers (08:52):
Yeah, so I'd say my two main ones would be the
diversified livestockproduction, where I either bred
and raised or raised manydifferent kinds of animals,
whether it was from the broilercontest or it was for the fair.
And I got to experience how totake care of all these different
kinds of animals to prepare mefor the future and become more
skilled at record keeping withthat.
And my other favorite one was adiversified crop production,
(09:13):
where I grew pumpkins, gourds,and popcorn, and uh got to learn
more about how to do that andhow to keep records and sell and
market my products and reallyimprove myself as uh an ag
businessman.
Brandon Mulnix (09:26):
Now, these are traits that I don't think
non-FFA kids are reallylearning, but they seem very
valuable for business.
Which skills do you feel thatyou gained the most from?
William Rogers (09:38):
Well, I think that there's just so many to
choose from.
I guess one of them would bespecifically is sales.
I think it's a real skill to beable to have a product and know
how to market it and know howto reach your audience.
If you aren't reaching youraudience, then you aren't going
to sell any of the product thatyou're trying to sell.
And it's also not just aboutselling, it's about connecting
with people and buildingrelationships, which I think is
(09:59):
really important.
So learning how to be a goodsalesman and yeah.
Brandon Mulnix (10:03):
So when it comes to some of the more technical
aspects of an SAE, what are themore challenging parts of an SAE
that you found that you had tokind of stretch yourself and
figure out?
William Rogers (10:15):
I'd say that definitely the most hard part
about SAE within the recordkeeping, because what we do is
as of right now, we are usingthis thing called AET or Ag
Experience Tracker to record allof our records.
And one of the hardest thingsfor me, at least, and I know a
lot of other people, was keepingtrack of financial records.
So within these projects, youhave to keep track of when you
(10:36):
bought something, how itdepreciates value over time,
when you sell it.
And it's just it's a lot toknow and understand how the app
works and can figure out how touse it to put it into your
records.
Because for me, I'm not a verytechnologically like on the
computer advanced person.
I'd have to learn it fromscratch because I I didn't grow
(10:57):
up knowing how to take computerrecords.
So it was uh it was a biglearning curve to learn how to
do that.
And I think once people getpast learning how to do all
these different things in theirrecord books, their SEs can
flourish and become so muchbetter.
Brandon Mulnix (11:09):
So you mentioned technology, and that is, you
know, I'm pretty familiar withit and what I do.
As your generation, how do youlearn to use technology?
William Rogers (11:20):
Yeah, so I guess it's a lot different every
generation that you go throughbecause a lot of things now you
can just look up on YouTube oror uh have a tutorial on how to
use the different types oftechnology.
But I think a lot of it isjust, you know, learning from
other people.
I think the most easy way tolearn something is from someone
showing you how to do it rightin front of you, whether that's
learning how to fly a drone toapply chemicals on fields, or
(11:43):
whether it's how to operate atractor or uh anything in
between.
Even like doing the records onthe computer, like I said, I
think learning it in person andhands-on is really helpful,
although videos can be, but justto really see it in front of
you can really make adifference.
Brandon Mulnix (11:57):
So now that you're at Michigan State, how
has your SAE experienceinfluenced your current studies
and your focus?
William Rogers (12:04):
Yeah, so exactly.
I had a bunch of differentSAEs, more than the ones I just
stated, but most of theminvolved a lot of different
areas of agriculture, eitherworking on farms or having
entrepreneurship with crops andlivestock.
And this all accumulates intoagricultural business and uh
possibly running my own agbusiness, which I want to run my
own ag business and farm oneday.
So I went to the agribusinessdegree because it focuses on how
(12:27):
to keep records and how to knowthe economics of your
situations, whether you'remarketing, your animals, your
crops, or anything in between.
So no matter which way I go inag business, whether I decide to
farm sheep or sweet corn orhoneybees, I can make my way and
know how to run my business.
Brandon Mulnix (12:43):
Okay.
So FFA prepared you forcollege.
You've kind of gained your itor what you're really passionate
about.
You were able to identify thatthrough FFA, which not many
people have that opportunityjust working the summer job.
I'll tell you that right now.
People, you know, look at workas hey, I've got to go to work
today, and it's might be a fastfood, might be something else.
(13:04):
And sometimes they don't lookat it as that as a way to learn.
Give me a story or a time wheresomething just clicked, where
you said, Man, this is exactlywhat I want to be doing.
Oh, that happens to me all thetime.
William Rogers (13:17):
Well, like I said, growing up around
agriculture and growing upworking on different farms and
stuff, it's all I've ever wantedto do, really.
I've gotten more and moreinvolved, so I've even more
gotten into it.
And it clicks when you'rehaving little moments like this,
whether it's you're driving abigger piece of equipment for
the first time and you reallyfeel like you're harnessing
technology and you're feelinglike you could do anything with
(13:37):
it, or you just clipped out asteer and you have them all
washed and you're about to goshow them in the show ring, and
you feel like all my hard work'sabout to pay off, and this is
what it came for.
The farmer that had to breedthat heifer to make her have a
baby, and then I bought thebaby, and then I have to work
with it all year, and it just itshows like there's hard work
all the way down the line forall these moments.
And uh, one of the I think themost important ones that doesn't
(14:00):
even involve work, it's justthe community that makes you
really click into it.
Being a part of a farmingcommunity, once you're once
you're done working for the day,being able to connect with
others and you know help eachother out.
If you're done with your work,go help out someone else.
And it's not always about acompetition, it's about making
sure everyone, you know, can dotheir best in what they're
trying to do.
Brandon Mulnix (14:18):
All right, you're the future leader.
Give me an aspect that makes agood leader.
William Rogers (14:23):
I think one of the most important things about
being a good leader is having anopen mind.
So if you're meeting someonenew and you don't know anything
about them, don't judge themright away just because they
might be different or from adifferent background than you,
or have different interests.
You can influence that personno matter how different you are
than them.
It's helping them find whattheir interests are and what
they want to put their focusesinto and helping them become
(14:44):
better at it and hoping thatthey'll flourish in their own
way.
Brandon Mulnix (14:47):
That is a very great aspect of leadership.
So when you and I talked alittle earlier, you mentioned
one of your passions for otherFFA members.
Can you tell me what yourpassion is when it comes to
sharing with others?
William Rogers (15:01):
Yeah, so I think my main passion about being an
FFA officer and being with othermembers is helping people feel
like they're good at somethingor like they belong.
A lot of people that are putinto FFA aren't necessarily
looking to take the class.
They might think it's ablow-off or they might think
it's something stupid, or theymight think they're not good
enough to participate in itbecause they didn't come from a
farm background or anything likethat.
But I personally think my mostimportant thing is to make sure
(15:24):
that these people can findsomething that they're really
interested in, and me and otherleaders alike can help them
flourish in that area and try tobetter themselves and create a
new sense of leadership, notjust for themselves, but to help
others in leadership as welland through their FFA projects
and all those areas.
Brandon Mulnix (15:40):
Okay.
It's interesting to see thatpassion come out at such a young
age because helping others findtheir way is something that,
you know, usually it's you know,coaching later on in your
career, and you're like, hey,I'm I'm gonna start helping
people find their way.
And here you are before youeven get started, going, hey,
how can I help you find yourway?
That's a huge, huge kudos toyou, man.
(16:01):
That's next level stuff, andthat's incredibly, incredibly
thoughtful of you to do that.
So I got a question.
I grew up and what I'd heard ofFFA was future farmers of
America, and that's not trueanymore, correct?
Correct.
William Rogers (16:14):
Well, while some of people in FFA might still be
future farmers, we are thenational FFA organization now,
and that is because it's notonly just for farmers, it's for
people of all backgrounds andall different areas, no matter
where you came from.
You can be involved inagriculture in some way.
Because agriculture, the lessthan 2% are feeding the 100%.
Everything you touch hasagriculture involved with it,
(16:36):
whether it's your clothes,whether it's your gasoline for
your car or the food that youeat.
It's all involved withagriculture and it's just
helping people find their waythrough it, no matter if it's in
the food industry or if it's inthe livestock industry or the
wool industry, anywhere inbetween.
There's a million differentways you can go into.
Brandon Mulnix (16:54):
And that's incredible because I think more
than half my listeners arepeople that work for the
agriculture industry, not workin the agriculture industry,
meaning we're suppliers, we'resales, we're marketing.
And it's just amazing watchingthe presentations.
I'm gonna go back to that stateconference experience, watching
the presentations that talkedabout the business side of it,
(17:14):
talked about the marketing sideof it, talked about the
technology side of it, theresearch side of it.
You know, there's a lot ofpeople that go, yeah, science is
important.
I don't want to work in thebarn, but man, there's a lot of
great things I can do to helpthe barnyard be more efficient.
And that's powerful stuff.
So that's really cool.
So for hiring managers, peoplethat are established leaders,
(17:36):
people that are, you know, inthe poultry sector or in
agriculture sector, what is onetangible skill or mindset that
an FFA member with a strong SAEbrings to the table that should
be valuable to those peoplehiring?
William Rogers (17:52):
I think this might sound cliche, but this is
my honest belief.
The willingness to learn andthe willingness to work.
If you're coming in thinkingthat you are going to run the
place and you don't have to lifta finger, that's the wrong
attitude.
You should be willing to workand be willing to learn new
things to make you become betterin that area.
Brandon Mulnix (18:10):
William, as a Gen Xer, I am just absolutely
thankful that FFA is instillingthose values in her kids because
I talk with people all the timeand go, this generation doesn't
know how to work.
They want everything handed tothem on a spoon.
And I don't believe thatbecause I've met people like
you.
There is hope for thegeneration coming out that, you
know, they're not all gonna be,you know, trained by AI, rely on
(18:33):
AI, and do all these things,but they're actually people that
want to work and want to learn.
And so, man, thank you forgiving me hope.
William Rogers (18:40):
Oh, yeah, no problem.
I hope all the FFA members feelthe same way as I do, and I'm
sure they do.
Brandon Mulnix (18:45):
Excellent.
So, William, as we kind of gothroughout, is there anything,
any aspect of FFA that I didn'ttalk about that you think is
important to share with theaudience?
William Rogers (18:55):
I think one other thing that can come off
the top of my mind is talkingabout the uh leadership
conferences in specific.
So we talked a little bit aboutstate convention where all the
people come together, butthroughout the year, there's
actually quite a few conferenceswhere FFA members get
opportunities to go and learnabout new careers, how to be a
better leader, how to make achapter development plan
(19:16):
throughout the year.
There's so many differentopportunities for different
conferences, and that doesn'tonly limit Michigan.
There's ones in Washington andDC.
Like I went to two inWashington, D.C., Washington
Leadership Conference.
And then as a state officer, Iwent to the summit.
And those are both amazingexperiences where you don't only
just focus on farming, it'salso about becoming a leader and
putting others first and notonly just thinking about what's
(19:38):
your next step, but thinkingabout what's the next step for
others.
And yeah, I think that FFA hasso many different areas.
We could probably sit here andtalk for five hours about every
single thing that we're involvedin.
But I think that FFA as a wholeand Michigan FFA is incredibly
diverse, and I'm happy to see itkeep expanding over time.
Brandon Mulnix (19:55):
So if you're talking to a parent of middle
schooler, high schooler, whatwould you encourage them to say
to their kids to get theminvolved in FFA?
William Rogers (20:05):
Well, I guess the main thing I would tell is
that your interests, no matterwhat they are, can be involved
in agriculture and can beinvolved in FFA.
We preach this in our workshopsthat we go around the chapters,
telling everyone, no matterwhat you're interested in, it
can be involved in FFA.
And I went to different middleschool classrooms, high school
classrooms.
Some of them didn't think thatthey fit in because they didn't
(20:25):
think it would be part of ag.
I talked to one student, he'slike, Yeah, I just like working
on my lawnmower.
I like, I like taking theengine out.
I'm like, that's ag mechanics.
There's a contest for that.
That can be an SAE.
You can start a small businesswith that.
I mean, there's endlesspossibilities, and sometimes
they just don't realize what thepotential is.
There are so many differentareas in agriculture that are
(20:47):
untapped.
Like, one thing that comes offthe top of my head is
photography.
A lot of people want to thinkoff the top of the head, what
does photography have anythingto do with agriculture?
Well, we're using photographyto uh take pictures of different
farms to display them for liketheir websites and stuff like
that.
Uh, we're taking drone shotswith photography, cameras that
are on drones to scan fields,all different sorts of stuff.
Veterinary medicine usesphotography.
(21:08):
Anything you can think of thatyou're interested in can be a
part of FFA and can be a part ofAG.
So it's just really cool toinform them about anything that
they like.
Brandon Mulnix (21:18):
That is cool.
I wish I would have had anopportunity to go through FFA.
I really do, because I saw mydaughter go through it and
unfortunately didn't get to goto state competition or get to
see her compete because of COVIDyears, but I did get to see
growth.
I get to see her show pigs, Igot to see her do things that we
didn't have the place to showto raise pigs, but someone in
(21:38):
FFA provided her a place toraise her pigs, and we enjoyed
them immensely because it savedus a lot of money at her
graduation open house forbarbecue.
So that was her SAE was toraise those pigs and be able to
supply food to her graduationparty.
William Rogers (21:54):
So that's awesome.
Brandon Mulnix (21:56):
Yeah, it's it's a lot of fun.
And you mentioned in theircareer fairs and things like
that.
Recently, Prism Controlsattended a career summit or
career fair, what you want tocall it there at MSU.
And what was exciting is I gotto um two of our staff members,
I'm sure there's more, but twoof them are very active in FFA.
And so what was really cool wasthey were excited to give back
(22:17):
to FFA and go and attend.
And yet, what was really funwas their energy level was so
ramped up because they knew whatthey had seen in the past.
They seen just really coolstuff, and they're like, no,
we're gonna do something reallycool.
And so I hadn't seen that levelof like enjoyment in giving
(22:38):
back, you know, you know,especially some of these folks
were engineers, you know, theywork with drawings all day.
You know, it's pretty laidback.
And these guys were like, no,no, we're gonna create a pretty
cool exhibit.
So that was pretty exciting.
So yeah, I love that about FFA.
Any member that's been part ofFFA, and I'm sure many of you
that listen to this podcast haveparticipated in FFA.
It's like a national likealumni.
(22:59):
It's so cool.
The blue jacket is so cool.
All right.
In closing, are there any lastwords for the audience that
you'd like to share?
I'd like to encourage you.
William Rogers (23:10):
I know it might sound corny, but really follow
what you think you really wantto do.
Don't think it's out of yourlimits just because you grew up
in the suburbs of Detroit, youcan be a farmer.
You can.
You just have to put your mindto it and work hard.
And don't think just becauseyou grew up a farm that you
can't work in a research labresearching genetics, because
you can.
You can work your way to it.
And uh FFA can provide you manyof those opportunities
(23:31):
throughout your years to come.
So I hope anyone that islistening to this, even if you
miss the opportunity to takeFFA, you can still become
involved right now and help outwith contests, help out with
different events.
And you might not be able tochange, you know, what happened
to you in high school involvingag, but you might be able to
influence someone younger thanyou and make a difference in
their lives.
So, yeah, FFA is not just forstudents, it's for everyone, and
(23:55):
everyone can become involvedand everyone can make a
difference in agriculture.
Brandon Mulnix (23:58):
And how would somebody get involved at their
local level?
William Rogers (24:02):
There's a lot of different ways.
So local alumni.
So most chapters have a localalumni and friends where you can
support either by helping workfundraisers or helping come up
with new ideas for chapters tomake money, or just helping at
their events and being an extraperson to lend a hand.
And there's also volunteeringwith the state level FFA and
national level.
So it's just reaching out tothe right people, going on
(24:23):
MichiganFFA.org and talking tothose people and figuring out
where they need help and yeah,all that sorts of stuff.
Brandon Mulnix (24:30):
Thank you for sharing the website with us.
That way folks can go findtheir local, because I'm
assuming if they typed in theirstate and FFA, they'll find
areas around them, whether it'sfor their business to support,
whether it's for them personallyto get involved.
It's a lot of fun.
I mean, I'm excited to be partof it, you know.
Second career in life, and nowI get to be part of it.
So, William, I really want tothank you for being our guest.
(24:51):
I am encouraged by the nextgeneration or your
representation of the nextgeneration coming through, your
representation of FFA.
They're gonna be really proudof you, buddy.
Your parents are proud for youknow you taking this chance.
And I'm so glad, I'm sure thoseteachers that you shouted out
to and those people are prettydarn proud of you too.
So I do really thank you forthat.
(25:11):
So, audience, as we continue tomove forward and we're talking
about future leadership, I wantyou to share this podcast.
I really do want you to sharethis with your audience to say,
hey, do you have kids that arelooking for direction?
You have kids that just don'tfind a place to fit in, but have
dreams and desires.
This is a perfect podcast toshare.
(25:32):
This is not about poultry asmuch as this is about the next
generation of leaders in thiscountry.
And if we can affect oneleader, one kid, one teenager
because you shared this podcastwith somebody, please just share
this podcast.
I think it has tremendous valueto some parent that's looking
(25:53):
to figure out how to get theirkid involved and some teen to
figure out how to get.
So if you're young and you'relistening to this, give us a
shout out.
Share us on your socials.
Please help your friends figureout what the amazing
organization FFA is and how toget involved.
So this episode also wouldn'tbe possible without Prism
Controls.
Prism Controls is a tech leaderin agriculture.
(26:14):
We were born in the barn in thebarn.
We grew up in the barn withtechnology.
Just like William grew up on afarm, Prism Controls also grew
up in the agaspace.
So just want to say a shout outto them for their sponsorship
of the podcast, also theirsponsorship for FFA.
So please go to their website,PrismControls.com, and reach out
to the team, reach out to me,and we can help get you
(26:36):
connected with, you know, eitherour product or we're willing to
get you connected with theindustry in some way.
So that way you can getinvolved.
So thank you again, PrismControls, for sharing this
episode.
And until next time, thank youfor following this podcast.
Like, share it, and have agreat afternoon.
Welcome back to the Poultry Leadership Podcast,
the show dedicated to exploringthe strategies, mindset, and
experiences that elevate leadersacross the poultry supply
chain.
Today we're going to dosomething a little different,
but incredibly important.
We're looking forward to thefuture leaders of our industry.
We often talk about executivepresence and boardrooms, but
where does that journey trulybegin?
(00:49):
For thousands of influentialprofessionals in agriculture, it
starts with a blue jacket.
That's right.
We're talking about nationalFFA organization.
And my guest today is a primeexample of the impact FFA has.
William Rogers, a dedicatedstudent at Michigan State
University.
William is currently navigatinghis agribusiness studies as he
(01:11):
joins us with firsthandexperience in developing
leadership, public speaking, andreal-world agricultural skills,
all thanks to his time in FFA.
Whatever you are, whether youare FFA alums, a parent, a
mentor, or a CEO looking to hirethe best new talent, this
conversation is for you.
We are diving into the corevalues of FFA, exploring
(01:33):
William's view on what trueleadership looks like in action,
and discussing how youthorganizations are directly
shaping the skill sets needed torun the complex poultry
businesses of tomorrow.
So let's stop talking aboutwhat leadership was and let's
start talking about whatleadership is becoming.
Welcome, William.
William Rogers (01:49):
Thanks for having me.
Brandon Mulnix (01:50):
William, I know I caught you in the middle of
doing homework and I reallyappreciate you joining us on the
show today.
Can you do me a favor and justtell the audience who William
Rogers is?
All right, I am William Rogers.
William Rogers (02:03):
I'm the 2025-2026 state vice president
for Michigan FFA.
I'm from Celine, Michigan,which is right under Ann Arbor,
and I'm very happy to be hereand happy to represent the
poultry industry today.
Brandon Mulnix (02:15):
Well, thank you.
So how did you get started inFFA?
William Rogers (02:18):
I got started in FFA because Mr.
Meller, which was my agteacher, he came to our middle
school and started talking aboutit.
And I didn't really know whatit was.
I didn't even know I had familythat were in it ahead of me,
but he started talking about thebroiler contest and how he
raised chickens in theclassroom.
And I thought that soundedpretty good to me rather than
doing homework just to be ableto raise chickens, which is
(02:39):
something I already did.
It really interested me becauseit was, you know, something I
wanted to put my future into wasfarming and raising animals.
But did you grow up on a farm?
I did not grow up on aconventional big farm.
I had a farm family and wassurrounded by a lot of people in
my community.
But for myself, I just raisedmy own animals for the fair, did
a little bit of small time likeanimal breeding and growing
(03:01):
plants, like growing pumpkins,popcorn, and gourds.
Did a lot of my own things.
Brandon Mulnix (03:05):
And with all of this FFA stuff, how do you go
from being probably a member ofthe Sleen chapter to vice
president of the Michigan FFA?
William Rogers (03:14):
Yeah, so everyone's path is really
different.
Mine is kind of interesting.
So, like I said, I started anFFA because I wanted to do the
chicken project.
I did not see myself as apublic speaker or as a leader or
anything like that.
My teacher, this is like astep-to-step process, but my
teacher, he uh encouraged me andsaid I needed to participate in
public speaking.
So I tried it my first year andI worked really hard on it.
(03:36):
And I made all the way to stateconvention and got fourth in
the state as a freshman.
Then I decided I really likedFFA and I want to keep working
hard and getting better andimproving leadership.
And I would not be even talkinghere if I wasn't forced to do
the public speaking back thenbecause I would be too nervous.
But then I ran for chapterofficer, became chapter
reporter.
And then the next year, Mr.
(03:56):
Miller encouraged me that Ineeded to run for regional
officer this next year.
So I said, all right, I guess Ican try it.
And then I ran for and I gotregional sentinel.
And then that same spring, Igot chapter vice president.
And I very much enjoyed both ofthem, even much so, so that
next time I was going to be thenext spring running for regional
(04:16):
officer again.
And I became regional presidentand chapter president.
So I just worked my way up andI just loved FFA and loved every
minute of it, wanted to keepgetting better and better.
And then came state office,which was the scariest one so
far.
And Mr.
Meller said that he thought Ijust really had talent with
being a leader and trying toencourage others and being a
part of agriculture.
(04:37):
So he really wanted me to tryit.
And I tried it and I ended upmaking it on the team.
I think it worked out reallywell that way because I have so
far been able to talk to a lotof students across the state and
hopefully got them a lot moreinterested in agriculture and
FFA as a whole.
Brandon Mulnix (04:50):
Well, William, it's interesting because I go
back to you were talking aboutas a freshman, you were forced
into public speaking.
And I can't even imagine doingpublic speaking when I was a
freshman, being embarrassed,standing in front of class,
caring what my peers thought,all that stuff was so that was
way more important to me thanwhat a teacher's saying about
public speaking.
That's crazy.
So, way to listen to teachers.
(05:11):
Is there any other really keyinfluences that people that
really mentored you as you grewthrough this process?
William Rogers (05:19):
Oh, yeah, there's there's plenty of
people.
I also had another teacher,Mrs.
Lepresto, who my last yearhelped me through state office.
So she just encouraged me tokeep on going, even without
having Mr.
Miller anymore, which was mydriving force.
I had a 4-H leader, MaryHammer, who encouraged me
through all of it and taught mea lot about agriculture and
taught me how to be more of aleader.
Both of my parents supported methrough all the years and uh
(05:42):
told me I could do anythingpretty much and told me that I
was capable of it.
And then Ryan Rowe was the CTEdirector, the consortium
director at Celine for thecounty, and he encouraged us all
to you know participate inthese different CTE programs and
get more involved in all thatstuff.
So there's been a lot of morepeople besides that, even I just
those are the ones that are offthe top of my head.
(06:03):
There's there's so many peoplethat come into it.
Brandon Mulnix (06:05):
Well, listeners, I get to, you know, be on this
Google meet with this young guy.
And man, the passion he has forwhat he's talking about and the
people, it really shows wellbeyond his age.
And so let's get into a littlebit more about what FFA is.
Can you just broadly tell mewhat's FFA?
Right.
William Rogers (06:23):
So the National FFA organization is pretty much
just a melting pot of peoplefrom all different backgrounds
representing agriculture and allthe different areas.
So we focus on premierleadership, entrepreneurship,
community service, and manyother areas.
Students across the state andacross the nation all have their
own SAE projects where they getto record what they are doing
(06:44):
and what they're interested in,become better at it.
And they also get toparticipate in contests all
across the state, whether it'sleadership or skills contest, to
become better and have personalgrowth throughout the year.
So FFA is pretty much can be amixture of everything, and it's
whatever you decide to put yourinterest into.
And ag education is bigger thanjust you know a farming club.
(07:05):
It's an intracurricular thingthat involves school and
involves, you know, learning andbecoming smarter in your area.
Brandon Mulnix (07:11):
So that is interesting.
You use the term melting pot.
And this last summer, man, itmay have been last winter even.
Um, I got to attend the stateconference here and just see the
melting pot.
Students that I would havenever imagined just all coming
together, different races,different sexes, different
(07:31):
everything, different, I mean,statuses in the school, so to
speak, jocks, and I meaneverybody was there for one
purpose.
And that was FFA.
And I don't think I've been ata conference like that where
I've seen so many students justunbelievable speeches,
unbelievable presentations,unbelievable teamwork when it
(07:53):
came to Robert's rules of orderor running a meeting.
Heck, I learned some thingsthat I took back to my village
council to say, hey, you knowwhat?
Why aren't we doing it the waythose young kids are?
It makes sense.
And so all of these things arejust so important.
You mentioned the term SAE.
Can you explain what that is?
William Rogers (08:09):
Yeah, so SAE is a supervised agricultural
experience.
And what that is, is prettymuch a record of your project
and it's your own FFA project,whether it's making honey from
honeybees or growing your ownvegetable garden and selling the
vegetables, or if it's workingat a local tractor mechanic
shop.
It can be pretty much anythingthat involves foundational SAEs,
(08:33):
placement SAEs, andentrepreneurship.
So whether it's you're learningsomething, whether it's you're
working somewhere, whether it isyour own business, or whether
you're even researching aproject, it can be pretty much
anything that you find interestin in it, many different topics.
Brandon Mulnix (08:48):
Give me an example of one of your favorites
that you did during your time.
William Rogers (08:52):
Yeah, so I'd say my two main ones would be the
diversified livestockproduction, where I either bred
and raised or raised manydifferent kinds of animals,
whether it was from the broilercontest or it was for the fair.
And I got to experience how totake care of all these different
kinds of animals to prepare mefor the future and become more
skilled at record keeping withthat.
And my other favorite one was adiversified crop production,
(09:13):
where I grew pumpkins, gourds,and popcorn, and uh got to learn
more about how to do that andhow to keep records and sell and
market my products and reallyimprove myself as uh an ag
businessman.
Brandon Mulnix (09:26):
Now, these are traits that I don't think
non-FFA kids are reallylearning, but they seem very
valuable for business.
Which skills do you feel thatyou gained the most from?
William Rogers (09:38):
Well, I think that there's just so many to
choose from.
I guess one of them would bespecifically is sales.
I think it's a real skill to beable to have a product and know
how to market it and know howto reach your audience.
If you aren't reaching youraudience, then you aren't going
to sell any of the product thatyou're trying to sell.
And it's also not just aboutselling, it's about connecting
with people and buildingrelationships, which I think is
(09:59):
really important.
So learning how to be a goodsalesman and yeah.
Brandon Mulnix (10:03):
So when it comes to some of the more technical
aspects of an SAE, what are themore challenging parts of an SAE
that you found that you had tokind of stretch yourself and
figure out?
William Rogers (10:15):
I'd say that definitely the most hard part
about SAE within the recordkeeping, because what we do is
as of right now, we are usingthis thing called AET or Ag
Experience Tracker to record allof our records.
And one of the hardest thingsfor me, at least, and I know a
lot of other people, was keepingtrack of financial records.
So within these projects, youhave to keep track of when you
(10:36):
bought something, how itdepreciates value over time,
when you sell it.
And it's just it's a lot toknow and understand how the app
works and can figure out how touse it to put it into your
records.
Because for me, I'm not a verytechnologically like on the
computer advanced person.
I'd have to learn it fromscratch because I I didn't grow
(10:57):
up knowing how to take computerrecords.
So it was uh it was a biglearning curve to learn how to
do that.
And I think once people getpast learning how to do all
these different things in theirrecord books, their SEs can
flourish and become so muchbetter.
Brandon Mulnix (11:09):
So you mentioned technology, and that is, you
know, I'm pretty familiar withit and what I do.
As your generation, how do youlearn to use technology?
William Rogers (11:20):
Yeah, so I guess it's a lot different every
generation that you go throughbecause a lot of things now you
can just look up on YouTube oror uh have a tutorial on how to
use the different types oftechnology.
But I think a lot of it isjust, you know, learning from
other people.
I think the most easy way tolearn something is from someone
showing you how to do it rightin front of you, whether that's
learning how to fly a drone toapply chemicals on fields, or
(11:43):
whether it's how to operate atractor or uh anything in
between.
Even like doing the records onthe computer, like I said, I
think learning it in person andhands-on is really helpful,
although videos can be, but justto really see it in front of
you can really make adifference.
Brandon Mulnix (11:57):
So now that you're at Michigan State, how
has your SAE experienceinfluenced your current studies
and your focus?
William Rogers (12:04):
Yeah, so exactly.
I had a bunch of differentSAEs, more than the ones I just
stated, but most of theminvolved a lot of different
areas of agriculture, eitherworking on farms or having
entrepreneurship with crops andlivestock.
And this all accumulates intoagricultural business and uh
possibly running my own agbusiness, which I want to run my
own ag business and farm oneday.
So I went to the agribusinessdegree because it focuses on how
(12:27):
to keep records and how to knowthe economics of your
situations, whether you'remarketing, your animals, your
crops, or anything in between.
So no matter which way I go inag business, whether I decide to
farm sheep or sweet corn orhoneybees, I can make my way and
know how to run my business.
Brandon Mulnix (12:43):
Okay.
So FFA prepared you forcollege.
You've kind of gained your itor what you're really passionate
about.
You were able to identify thatthrough FFA, which not many
people have that opportunityjust working the summer job.
I'll tell you that right now.
People, you know, look at workas hey, I've got to go to work
today, and it's might be a fastfood, might be something else.
(13:04):
And sometimes they don't lookat it as that as a way to learn.
Give me a story or a time wheresomething just clicked, where
you said, Man, this is exactlywhat I want to be doing.
Oh, that happens to me all thetime.
William Rogers (13:17):
Well, like I said, growing up around
agriculture and growing upworking on different farms and
stuff, it's all I've ever wantedto do, really.
I've gotten more and moreinvolved, so I've even more
gotten into it.
And it clicks when you'rehaving little moments like this,
whether it's you're driving abigger piece of equipment for
the first time and you reallyfeel like you're harnessing
technology and you're feelinglike you could do anything with
(13:37):
it, or you just clipped out asteer and you have them all
washed and you're about to goshow them in the show ring, and
you feel like all my hard work'sabout to pay off, and this is
what it came for.
The farmer that had to breedthat heifer to make her have a
baby, and then I bought thebaby, and then I have to work
with it all year, and it just itshows like there's hard work
all the way down the line forall these moments.
And uh, one of the I think themost important ones that doesn't
(14:00):
even involve work, it's justthe community that makes you
really click into it.
Being a part of a farmingcommunity, once you're once
you're done working for the day,being able to connect with
others and you know help eachother out.
If you're done with your work,go help out someone else.
And it's not always about acompetition, it's about making
sure everyone, you know, can dotheir best in what they're
trying to do.
Brandon Mulnix (14:18):
All right, you're the future leader.
Give me an aspect that makes agood leader.
William Rogers (14:23):
I think one of the most important things about
being a good leader is having anopen mind.
So if you're meeting someonenew and you don't know anything
about them, don't judge themright away just because they
might be different or from adifferent background than you,
or have different interests.
You can influence that personno matter how different you are
than them.
It's helping them find whattheir interests are and what
they want to put their focusesinto and helping them become
(14:44):
better at it and hoping thatthey'll flourish in their own
way.
Brandon Mulnix (14:47):
That is a very great aspect of leadership.
So when you and I talked alittle earlier, you mentioned
one of your passions for otherFFA members.
Can you tell me what yourpassion is when it comes to
sharing with others?
William Rogers (15:01):
Yeah, so I think my main passion about being an
FFA officer and being with othermembers is helping people feel
like they're good at somethingor like they belong.
A lot of people that are putinto FFA aren't necessarily
looking to take the class.
They might think it's ablow-off or they might think
it's something stupid, or theymight think they're not good
enough to participate in itbecause they didn't come from a
farm background or anything likethat.
But I personally think my mostimportant thing is to make sure
(15:24):
that these people can findsomething that they're really
interested in, and me and otherleaders alike can help them
flourish in that area and try tobetter themselves and create a
new sense of leadership, notjust for themselves, but to help
others in leadership as welland through their FFA projects
and all those areas.
Brandon Mulnix (15:40):
Okay.
It's interesting to see thatpassion come out at such a young
age because helping others findtheir way is something that,
you know, usually it's you know,coaching later on in your
career, and you're like, hey,I'm I'm gonna start helping
people find their way.
And here you are before youeven get started, going, hey,
how can I help you find yourway?
That's a huge, huge kudos toyou, man.
(16:01):
That's next level stuff, andthat's incredibly, incredibly
thoughtful of you to do that.
So I got a question.
I grew up and what I'd heard ofFFA was future farmers of
America, and that's not trueanymore, correct?
Correct.
William Rogers (16:14):
Well, while some of people in FFA might still be
future farmers, we are thenational FFA organization now,
and that is because it's notonly just for farmers, it's for
people of all backgrounds andall different areas, no matter
where you came from.
You can be involved inagriculture in some way.
Because agriculture, the lessthan 2% are feeding the 100%.
Everything you touch hasagriculture involved with it,
(16:36):
whether it's your clothes,whether it's your gasoline for
your car or the food that youeat.
It's all involved withagriculture and it's just
helping people find their waythrough it, no matter if it's in
the food industry or if it's inthe livestock industry or the
wool industry, anywhere inbetween.
There's a million differentways you can go into.
Brandon Mulnix (16:54):
And that's incredible because I think more
than half my listeners arepeople that work for the
agriculture industry, not workin the agriculture industry,
meaning we're suppliers, we'resales, we're marketing.
And it's just amazing watchingthe presentations.
I'm gonna go back to that stateconference experience, watching
the presentations that talkedabout the business side of it,
(17:14):
talked about the marketing sideof it, talked about the
technology side of it, theresearch side of it.
You know, there's a lot ofpeople that go, yeah, science is
important.
I don't want to work in thebarn, but man, there's a lot of
great things I can do to helpthe barnyard be more efficient.
And that's powerful stuff.
So that's really cool.
So for hiring managers, peoplethat are established leaders,
(17:36):
people that are, you know, inthe poultry sector or in
agriculture sector, what is onetangible skill or mindset that
an FFA member with a strong SAEbrings to the table that should
be valuable to those peoplehiring?
William Rogers (17:52):
I think this might sound cliche, but this is
my honest belief.
The willingness to learn andthe willingness to work.
If you're coming in thinkingthat you are going to run the
place and you don't have to lifta finger, that's the wrong
attitude.
You should be willing to workand be willing to learn new
things to make you become betterin that area.
Brandon Mulnix (18:10):
William, as a Gen Xer, I am just absolutely
thankful that FFA is instillingthose values in her kids because
I talk with people all the timeand go, this generation doesn't
know how to work.
They want everything handed tothem on a spoon.
And I don't believe thatbecause I've met people like
you.
There is hope for thegeneration coming out that, you
know, they're not all gonna be,you know, trained by AI, rely on
(18:33):
AI, and do all these things,but they're actually people that
want to work and want to learn.
And so, man, thank you forgiving me hope.
William Rogers (18:40):
Oh, yeah, no problem.
I hope all the FFA members feelthe same way as I do, and I'm
sure they do.
Brandon Mulnix (18:45):
Excellent.
So, William, as we kind of gothroughout, is there anything,
any aspect of FFA that I didn'ttalk about that you think is
important to share with theaudience?
William Rogers (18:55):
I think one other thing that can come off
the top of my mind is talkingabout the uh leadership
conferences in specific.
So we talked a little bit aboutstate convention where all the
people come together, butthroughout the year, there's
actually quite a few conferenceswhere FFA members get
opportunities to go and learnabout new careers, how to be a
better leader, how to make achapter development plan
(19:16):
throughout the year.
There's so many differentopportunities for different
conferences, and that doesn'tonly limit Michigan.
There's ones in Washington andDC.
Like I went to two inWashington, D.C., Washington
Leadership Conference.
And then as a state officer, Iwent to the summit.
And those are both amazingexperiences where you don't only
just focus on farming, it'salso about becoming a leader and
putting others first and notonly just thinking about what's
(19:38):
your next step, but thinkingabout what's the next step for
others.
And yeah, I think that FFA hasso many different areas.
We could probably sit here andtalk for five hours about every
single thing that we're involvedin.
But I think that FFA as a wholeand Michigan FFA is incredibly
diverse, and I'm happy to see itkeep expanding over time.
Brandon Mulnix (19:55):
So if you're talking to a parent of middle
schooler, high schooler, whatwould you encourage them to say
to their kids to get theminvolved in FFA?
William Rogers (20:05):
Well, I guess the main thing I would tell is
that your interests, no matterwhat they are, can be involved
in agriculture and can beinvolved in FFA.
We preach this in our workshopsthat we go around the chapters,
telling everyone, no matterwhat you're interested in, it
can be involved in FFA.
And I went to different middleschool classrooms, high school
classrooms.
Some of them didn't think thatthey fit in because they didn't
(20:25):
think it would be part of ag.
I talked to one student, he'slike, Yeah, I just like working
on my lawnmower.
I like, I like taking theengine out.
I'm like, that's ag mechanics.
There's a contest for that.
That can be an SAE.
You can start a small businesswith that.
I mean, there's endlesspossibilities, and sometimes
they just don't realize what thepotential is.
There are so many differentareas in agriculture that are
(20:47):
untapped.
Like, one thing that comes offthe top of my head is
photography.
A lot of people want to thinkoff the top of the head, what
does photography have anythingto do with agriculture?
Well, we're using photographyto uh take pictures of different
farms to display them for liketheir websites and stuff like
that.
Uh, we're taking drone shotswith photography, cameras that
are on drones to scan fields,all different sorts of stuff.
Veterinary medicine usesphotography.
(21:08):
Anything you can think of thatyou're interested in can be a
part of FFA and can be a part ofAG.
So it's just really cool toinform them about anything that
they like.
Brandon Mulnix (21:18):
That is cool.
I wish I would have had anopportunity to go through FFA.
I really do, because I saw mydaughter go through it and
unfortunately didn't get to goto state competition or get to
see her compete because of COVIDyears, but I did get to see
growth.
I get to see her show pigs, Igot to see her do things that we
didn't have the place to showto raise pigs, but someone in
(21:38):
FFA provided her a place toraise her pigs, and we enjoyed
them immensely because it savedus a lot of money at her
graduation open house forbarbecue.
So that was her SAE was toraise those pigs and be able to
supply food to her graduationparty.
William Rogers (21:54):
So that's awesome.
Brandon Mulnix (21:56):
Yeah, it's it's a lot of fun.
And you mentioned in theircareer fairs and things like
that.
Recently, Prism Controlsattended a career summit or
career fair, what you want tocall it there at MSU.
And what was exciting is I gotto um two of our staff members,
I'm sure there's more, but twoof them are very active in FFA.
And so what was really cool wasthey were excited to give back
(22:17):
to FFA and go and attend.
And yet, what was really funwas their energy level was so
ramped up because they knew whatthey had seen in the past.
They seen just really coolstuff, and they're like, no,
we're gonna do something reallycool.
And so I hadn't seen that levelof like enjoyment in giving
(22:38):
back, you know, you know,especially some of these folks
were engineers, you know, theywork with drawings all day.
You know, it's pretty laidback.
And these guys were like, no,no, we're gonna create a pretty
cool exhibit.
So that was pretty exciting.
So yeah, I love that about FFA.
Any member that's been part ofFFA, and I'm sure many of you
that listen to this podcast haveparticipated in FFA.
It's like a national likealumni.
(22:59):
It's so cool.
The blue jacket is so cool.
All right.
In closing, are there any lastwords for the audience that
you'd like to share?
I'd like to encourage you.
William Rogers (23:10):
I know it might sound corny, but really follow
what you think you really wantto do.
Don't think it's out of yourlimits just because you grew up
in the suburbs of Detroit, youcan be a farmer.
You can.
You just have to put your mindto it and work hard.
And don't think just becauseyou grew up a farm that you
can't work in a research labresearching genetics, because
you can.
You can work your way to it.
And uh FFA can provide you manyof those opportunities
(23:31):
throughout your years to come.
So I hope anyone that islistening to this, even if you
miss the opportunity to takeFFA, you can still become
involved right now and help outwith contests, help out with
different events.
And you might not be able tochange, you know, what happened
to you in high school involvingag, but you might be able to
influence someone younger thanyou and make a difference in
their lives.
So, yeah, FFA is not just forstudents, it's for everyone, and
(23:55):
everyone can become involvedand everyone can make a
difference in agriculture.
Brandon Mulnix (23:58):
And how would somebody get involved at their
local level?
William Rogers (24:02):
There's a lot of different ways.
So local alumni.
So most chapters have a localalumni and friends where you can
support either by helping workfundraisers or helping come up
with new ideas for chapters tomake money, or just helping at
their events and being an extraperson to lend a hand.
And there's also volunteeringwith the state level FFA and
national level.
So it's just reaching out tothe right people, going on
(24:23):
MichiganFFA.org and talking tothose people and figuring out
where they need help and yeah,all that sorts of stuff.
Brandon Mulnix (24:30):
Thank you for sharing the website with us.
That way folks can go findtheir local, because I'm
assuming if they typed in theirstate and FFA, they'll find
areas around them, whether it'sfor their business to support,
whether it's for them personallyto get involved.
It's a lot of fun.
I mean, I'm excited to be partof it, you know.
Second career in life, and nowI get to be part of it.
So, William, I really want tothank you for being our guest.
(24:51):
I am encouraged by the nextgeneration or your
representation of the nextgeneration coming through, your
representation of FFA.
They're gonna be really proudof you, buddy.
Your parents are proud for youknow you taking this chance.
And I'm so glad, I'm sure thoseteachers that you shouted out
to and those people are prettydarn proud of you too.
So I do really thank you forthat.
(25:11):
So, audience, as we continue tomove forward and we're talking
about future leadership, I wantyou to share this podcast.
I really do want you to sharethis with your audience to say,
hey, do you have kids that arelooking for direction?
You have kids that just don'tfind a place to fit in, but have
dreams and desires.
This is a perfect podcast toshare.
(25:32):
This is not about poultry asmuch as this is about the next
generation of leaders in thiscountry.
And if we can affect oneleader, one kid, one teenager
because you shared this podcastwith somebody, please just share
this podcast.
I think it has tremendous valueto some parent that's looking
(25:53):
to figure out how to get theirkid involved and some teen to
figure out how to get.
So if you're young and you'relistening to this, give us a
shout out.
Share us on your socials.
Please help your friends figureout what the amazing
organization FFA is and how toget involved.
So this episode also wouldn'tbe possible without Prism
Controls.
Prism Controls is a tech leaderin agriculture.
(26:14):
We were born in the barn in thebarn.
We grew up in the barn withtechnology.
Just like William grew up on afarm, Prism Controls also grew
up in the agaspace.
So just want to say a shout outto them for their sponsorship
of the podcast, also theirsponsorship for FFA.
So please go to their website,PrismControls.com, and reach out
to the team, reach out to me,and we can help get you
(26:36):
connected with, you know, eitherour product or we're willing to
get you connected with theindustry in some way.
So that way you can getinvolved.
So thank you again, PrismControls, for sharing this
episode.
And until next time, thank youfor following this podcast.
Like, share it, and have agreat afternoon.
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