Make the Dash Count

By Carter Boyd, 2025-2026 Ohio FFA State President

Make the dash count. That is something my teammates and I have been reminded of more times than we can count. The dash between the years 2025 and 2026 includes all of the special moments with chapters, new friendships created this year, and amazing celebrations as our members celebrate new beginnings that we have been so lucky to experience all across the state of Ohio. What better way to celebrate the close of the all too sweet year of 2025 than by recognizing all of the achievements we have experienced together as Ohio FFA?!

Of these many moments, our time cheering on so many Ohio FFA members at the 98th National FFA Convention is one that our team still reflects on regularly. Ohio left Indianapolis with many achievements that agricultural educators, FFA members, parents, and so many other supporters worked incredibly hard to obtain. We were proud to be represented by 533 American FFA Degrees, making Ohio the third-highest-awarded state in the nation for earning the highest recognition offered by National FFA. One of these 533 members is Joanna Hamilton from the Felicity Franklin FFA Chapter in southwest Ohio. Joanna’s supervised agricultural experience project was so impressive that she was named the 2025 American Star in Agriscience, a true honor that we are proud to say a fellow Buckeye has received.

Additionally, Ohio FFA was competitive in many other areas, including the Agriscience Fair, with representatives in 27 unique divisions. In the National Proficiency Awards, 27 FFA members were recognized for their outstanding work in their supervised agricultural experiences. Ohio FFA was also proud to have one representative in each of the following areas: National FFA Band, National FFA Chorus, and National FFA Talent. Dozens of our chapters were recognized as three-star chapters for their unique programs, and one chapter was even named one of the ten Premier Chapters in the nation in the Strengthening Agriculture area of focus. Many FFA chapters had the opportunity to compete in various Career Development Events (CDEs) at the national level, which is quite an accomplishment. Two chapters even won their respective competitive areas. These included Cardington FFA in the Conduct of Chapter Meetings CDE and Big Walnut – DACC FFA in the Food Science and Technology CDE. Finally, our very own Luke Jennings concluded a year well served as the 2024-2025 National FFA Secretary. We could not be more proud of the many Ohio FFA members who earned so much to celebrate at the 98th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Speaking of celebrations, every good party needs some standout dishes, and our FFA members are the right ones to help make that happen. While thousands of our members have not been cooking actual dishes, they have been learning how to find the perfect “Recipe for Leadership” at the annual district leadership nights hosted by various schools with help from the state officer team. These events include lessons on delegating responsibilities, perseverance, and giving and receiving feedback from others. Through teamwork activities, answering questions, solving problems, and lots and lots of fun, FFA members have the opportunity to understand the importance of these skills and add them to their own leadership style. These events take place all across Ohio with two in each district, allowing us state officers to experience 20 leadership nights in every corner of the state, thanks to the sponsorship of Ohio Corn & Wheat.

Since the start of the school year, the 11 of us serving as Ohio FFA state officers have had the chance to experience so many more of these moments on the road. Between chapter visits in the classroom, award presentations at degree ceremonies, fundraising programs, banquets, and out-of-school events, our team is incredibly grateful to have been a part of more than 100 events so far.

As you can tell, there was a lot to celebrate in 2025 here at Ohio FFA. As all of us celebrate the ball dropping into the new year of 2026 with the rest of the world, my teammates and I look forward to even more moments like these and continued celebrations to ensure that we make the dash count.