News

National FFA officer experiences diversity of agriculture  

After months of traveling, National FFA Eastern Region Vice President Gracie Murphy returned to her home state of Illinois this week.

Murphy tells Brownfield it has been a wild ride traveling to 24 states in the last 8 months but she has valued the opportunity to witness the diversity of US agriculture.

“You get told in class all the time about how agriculture is so different, but you don’t fully understand that unless you really go out there and see it. Being from Midwestern Illinois surrounded by corn and soybeans growing up, I really didn’t think agriculture was anything different than that. But then I went to Montana where they don’t have corn and soybeans, they have ranches and cattle. And then going over to Washington and seeing the dry land over there. Then in Nevada, where they grow corn in pivots, not really row crops, that was different to see. And out east, they have a lot of fisheries.”

Murphy has 4 months left of her term but plans to pursue a career in ag education or communications where her recent travels will help her share the diversity of agriculture with others.

Brownfield interviewed Murphy at the 95th Illinois FFA State Convention in Springfield Wednesday where she gave a keynote address.