Setting Roots with Ian Bennett

When it comes to wildlife and natural resource management, look no further than these two. When I lived with Rob my sophomore year of college, I saw firsthand just how passionate these two are about the natural world. They would spend hours learning the scientific names of plants found across the southeast, memorizing the identification features of ducks, helping with marshland restoration projects and somehow still finding the time to go hunting. On the back porch of Kyle's house, we've had so many long discussions on the why it's important to manage our natural resources and how to do so. Farming and Resource management have only become more intertwined in the last couple years, and this duo has some neat ideas on what we can do to manage both to a good level. In between classes and study breaks we found some time to sit down for the brief episode. We discuss wildlife management from a bunch of different angles. While I'm definitely interested in exploring these ideas in more detail, this is a great episode for anyone interested in conservation, wildlife and our natural resources. Enjoy.

Breanna and I get to sit down and talk a lot less often than you'd think. As national FFA officers, we actually travel separately the vast majority of the time. For the last year, we've been traveling across the country and very rarely do our paths cross. This week we've begun the process of getting ready for the National FFA Convention and Expo. The whole team, not just Bre and I, flew in to kick this process off. We sit down today for this episode after we turned in the first drafts of our retiring addresses, session scripts and all the other responsibilities that we have at convention. On this episode, we talk about our recent travels. Bre and I both got to spend some time in Missouri, just in different parts of the start. We talk about our writing styles and how we go about writing speeches. We get sidetracked into a conversation about DNA and then go back into talks about our travels across the country. Enjoy.

Desiree and I met almost a year ago at the National FFA Convention as part of the national officer election process. I was a candidate for office, and she served as one of 9 members on the selection committee. Over the course of that week, Desiree sat in on, and I went through over 10 rounds of interviews. After convention, we stayed in touch and got to meet up again in Springfield Missouri. Desiree is originally from Connecticut and after spending two years at a local community college she transferred out to Missouri State where she studies Agricultural Communications. I flew out to Springfield for the start of a two week mad-dash across the state where I led two events a day and traveled north across the western side of the state. After spending to some time in the Springfield area, I managed to catch up with her again, and we reminisced on the election process. We sat down to do this impromptu episode were we discuss the process in detail. While we don't into specifics about last year, we did get to talk about the revisions that recently went into place in the election process. We discuss the variety of interviews that take place and how candidates go about being successful in each round of the interviews. If you've ever had questions about how national officers get elected, this is the episode for you. Enjoy.

Coty Back is the team leader and coach of the National FFA Officer team. Our team headed on a retreat in the black mountains of North Carolina. There we reflected on the business of the last couple weeks, headed on some adventures and looked forward to the future. After a busy week climbing waterfalls, hours on the lakes, and hiking around the cabin, Coty and I sat down for a spontaneous episode. On this episode we discuss leadership from ourselves and others, genetic advancements, water rights, our times on the road, and how we continue to learn, grow and develop. Make sure to Subscribe, Like, and tell all your friends

Blake Allen and I met in the 6th grade. Somewhere between middle school and high school, we became best friends who managed to get in a lot of trouble and talk our way out of most of it. After high school, Blake ran off to Costa Rica for a year and I headed down the road to the local community college. One year later, he came back home and another year after that, I graduated from ABAC. Today, Blake is still my best friend and as a fulltime college student, he has managed to spend a year abroad, help manage three business and he has expanded them all at the same time. Blake has always been a lively, goofy, friendly guy and this episode is no different. Throughout the time I've know Blake, he and his family have owned, ran and operated a wide array of different businesses. Their bait and tackle shop named "Shan's" has been a staple in south Valdosta for years. In highschool, Blake helped them move to a newer, nicer building. Blake's first business was selling sno-cones at the football games on friday night. Somehow, in middle school, he and his brother talked their way into being the one of the only vendors on the home side other than the concession stands. When he decided to come home to help the family business after spending a year studying a the University of Georgia, he took notice to the side room attached to Shan's. After much consideration, he decided to start New Orleans's style Snoball shop called "Snowopocalyse" in honor of the snow storm that happened when we were in high school. Ironically enough, I was at Blake's house when this happened. As a handful of snowflakes fell, I was firmly instructed by my mother to stay put, school was canceled for two days, and the city of Atlanta literally shut down. Snowopocalypse 2k12. Look it up. Anyway, this little side project of Blake's took off. Business has boomed in the last couple months and their little store was swamped. They had lines out the door, and often ran out of ice. Pretty quickly he realized that he had not only discovered a new market in our small hometown, he also realized that they needed to expand. A little over a month before this episode, they opened their second location. We decided to go live from the new location. On this episode we catch up on lost time, talk about our time abroad, discuss small town gossip, and how he was able to take an idea, and turn it into a successful business. Enjoy.

The Secretary of Agriculture for the United State of America is by far the most important guest I've had on so far. In all honesty, this episode only came about because he was speaking at the State Officer Summit for the National FFA Organization ( a leadership conference that I facilitated). I managed to talk my way into sometime with the Secretary and the rest is history. I met the Secretary first thing in the morning when I was asked to be part of the greeting party for his arrival. His security had arrived earlier to "clear" the building, and selected a side door for him to walk through. Like a scene from a spy movie, we waited in the alley beside the building for his entourage to arrive. He arrived in a black police SUV and we made our way inside, security and staff in tow. After breakfast, Secretary Perdue addressed the crowd and we made our way to the next room over to record the episode. In the process of submitting my questions for approval, I learned a great deal about the man himself. He grew up on a dairy and row crop farm in Bonaire Georgia,When he was a young boy feeding the calves and plowing the fields, he was a crucial part of the workforce on his father's farm. More than anything in his life it was the family farm, he says, which helped shape him. He learned first-hand what his father told him many times, "If you take care of the land, the land will take care of you."The idea of leaving the world better than he found it has been key theme in the secretary's life. He served his country as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Received a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia, served as a member of the Georgia State Senate for eleven years, and a two-term governor. He followed all of that up with a successful career in agribusiness, focusing on commodities and transportation across the southeastern United States. Needless to say, he has lived a very full life but I was curious to see what else I could find out about him. On this episode, Mr. Secretary and I talk about his upbringing, and how get entered the world of public service. He says the public service was something he never intended to get into and we talk about his path into it. We review his first year of office and look into the future to see where America Agriculture is headed. Enjoy.

Shane Jacques is an educational specialist for the National FFA Organization who focuses on State Officer programs. He has spent the last ten years taking the best leaders that the Future Farmers of America has to offer and making them better. I met Shane when I was a state officer roughly 3 years ago. I was a state officer attending the now-extinct State President's Conference. Ironically enough, I was serving as the state secretary. Shane helped run the conference where I received some of my first trainings on advocacy and I first got to experience the depth and breadth of knowledge that seems to just exist within him. From Rhode Island, Shane attended the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill where he received a degree in Agribusiness Management. While looking for a summer internship, he checked FFA.org where he found three openings and applied for all of them. After an interview process, he was hired as the summer intern under the Advisor Program Coordinator and the Washington Leadership Conference. On the last night of the last week of the conference, he heard about an opening with the National FFA working with State Officer Programs and even though he still had a semester of school left, he applied. He was hired, finished his degree program and has been with the FFA ever since. Shane also manages an international experience for State Officers. over the years it has moved across the world and in recent years has been hosted in a country that he has a great love for, South Africa. Cultural Intelligence is something that he is no stranger to and almost any conversation with him can unlock some kind of insight into another culture. this one is no different. We talk about his travels to other countries, my time working with migrant workers and my trip to Japan. Shane also is a master at bringing the best of out people and our conversation of the Clifton Strengthsfinder really shows how much knowledge he has on the area. Building upon your strengths is a great way grow and Shane is one of the best coaches out there. Over the course of our roughly 3 hour podcast we cover a lot of ground, and just like every other conversation I've had the pleasure of sitting in on with Shane, I learn way more than you would be willing to read my rambling writing on. Enjoy.

Luke Love is the 2018-2019 Tennessee FFA State President from Murfreesboro Tennessee. We met Camp Clements. As the oldest FFA camp in the country, this place was full of a rich history. From taking the camp picture on a camera from 1905 to the 4th of july fireworks celebration, it was absolutely a highlight of the year. Luke and I quickly bonded over the fact that we were fellow Eagle Scouts. A brotherhood that few have ever entered, Eagles scouts have spent well over a year of thier life in the woods, organized and ran a community service project, along with some many other things. You can't accomplish theses things without developing a deep-held respect for the outside world. We reminisced about the good times we had camping and discussed the camping spots we vividly remember. Soon we turned to talks about wildlife, and the future. Enjoy.

Ben Bennett is my brother, and a third year Agricultural Education Teacher. On this episode we discuss hiking trails, stories from college, and what it take to be a good teacher. Make sure to Like, Subcribe, and tell all you friends.

Sam Johnson is a past state FFA officer, first generation farmer, and a student at the Kentucky Welding Institute. Garrett Maddox is a journeyman welder, and instructor at the Kentucky Welding Institute.

I met Ridge several years ago as a National Officer Candidate in Indianapolis during the national FFA convention. Since then, Ridge as served a second term as an Oklahoma State Officer, and it was a blast to get to catch up with him again. Ridge plans on becoming a lawyer and moving back to his home area to serve the people he grew up with. From Alva, Oklahoma Ridge comes from a wheat, soybeans, and cattle operation. Farming in Oklahoma is very different from what I am used to, especially when it comes to wheat. It was fascinating to hear about the challenges they face, and what they are doing to work around those. We start the episode off with an in depth discussion on summer camps, and why they are such a magical place. Pretty quickly we get on the topic of farming, and then slowly move back into talks about leadership and motivation. Enjoy.

Jordan Popp & Grady Johnson are both State FFA officers in Nebraska. Coming production agriculture backgrounds in the corn belt of america, these two literally work to feed the world.

David Townsend was the 2016-2017 National FFA President. He is currently a junior at the University of Delaware studying plant science.

Mark Poeschl is the CEO of the National FFA Organization. He works with teachers, industry representatives, and staff to improve the educational opportunities for it's members while maintaining the organization's status as a leader in 21st century agriculture.

Andy Paul served as the 2014-2015 National FFA President. From Lexington, Georgia he grew up in a small town of 222 people. Andy was recently hired to be the leadership program specialist for the Georgia FFA association.

William Vencill has been at the University of Georgia in the Crop and Soil Sciences Department as a weed scientist since 1989. At the University of Georgia, Dr. Vencill has conducted research in the areas of herbicide physiology and persistence in soil and water. Dr. Vencill has authored or co-authored 61 refereed journal articles, 150 conference papers or abstracts, and 25 technical research reports and related publications. He was the editor of the eighth edition of the Herbicide Handbook published in 2002, and he is the editor of the journal of Weed Science On this episode, we talk about modern herbicide development, the changes that he has seen in his nearly 40 years in the industry and what new advances are coming down the track.

Coty Back is the team leader over National Officer management at the National FFA Convention. Growing up in the foothills of the Appalachians, Coty became interested in leadership early in life as an FFA member himself. He served as a National FFA officer, and worked in the agriculture industry for several years before returning to agricultural education. Today, we talked about his personal leadership philosophy, how to learn how to lead, and dive deep into leadership from several different angles. Enjoy.

Grab your pens and pencils! Blaze Currie is a Team Leader for the Leadership Development Team at the National FFA Organization. On this episode we talk about his long and meandering path from a small town in Texas to where he is today. He has started non-profits, been a special contractor for the US Military, and has some of the best ideas about what the future of agriculture and education will look like. Enjoy.

Got to sit down with Bob Crain and AGCO this morning to talk about their company. They are leading the way in efficiency and adding new technology to their workforce all the time. They recently pioneered efforts to use Google Glasses in their Minnesota operation and use a variety of other tech to help increase quality and production.

Finally got the National FFA President! Breanna Holbert is the national President for the Future Farmers of America. From Lodi California, Bre has been traveling the country meeting with FFA members, and working with the National FFA Foundation to help raise support for the FFA's programs. Bre and I talk about her travels, the difficulties on the road, the little moments that make it worthwhile and everything in between. Make sure to Subscribe, Like, and Tell all your friends!