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Washington Evening Journal
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WACO FFA attends National Convention
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, nine enthusiastic WACO FFA members hopped in a van along with their advisor Ethan Fetzer and headed for the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.
They are members of one of the largest and busiest FFA chapters in Southeast Iowa. They were proud to be able to showcase their chapter and share their experiences with other FFA chapters from across the U.S. For three days, they both shared and learned what FFA has to offer its members and how it has benefited them.
Much more than an organization for farmers, or people who plan to farm, there is a wide range of opportunities connected with agriculture where one does not even have to set their foot in a barnyard. With a dedicated advisor and members willing to explore what resources are available to them, FFA cannot only provide job opportunities, but through programs available to FFA members, they can achieve their goals.
Three days later, the same nine FFA members and their sponsor returned home, tired but excited about their experiences at the convention. This convention was the second one Morgan Leichty has attended, and said she had “an amazing time with my fellow FFA members,” adding, “every convention trip I’ve been on has never been a disappointment. FFA has bought me so many great memories.”
WACO’s FFA is an affiliated chapter which means all students from grades 8 through 12 who are enrolled in an ag class are automatically FFA members. According to Fetzer, there are about 140 students enrolled in ag classes at WACO, and around 50% are active in the chapter.
“Our FFA roster is slightly higher than class enrollments because there are still some active members who have graduated,” explained Fetzer.
Fetzer has been the WACO FFA advisor since he started the program in 2021.
“The previous program was a shared program with other schools. Throughout [that] time, there was a chapter and then it slowly disappeared,” he said. “WACO had been without an FFA program for at least 30 years from what I’ve gathered.”
The current chapter was officially chartered in 2022 and received recognition as a new Iowa FFA chapter at the Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference in April 2023. When asked what the goals of the chapter are, Fetzer replied, “I like to reference and think about the three-circle model of Agricultural Education when discussing goals. The three components are 1) Classroom learning; 2) Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE’s); and 3) FFA.”
Fetzer went on to explain these goals. In the classroom, his goal is to expose students to careers in the agricultural industry, to teach agriculture and biological concepts through hands-on learning labs and provide unique experiences that they might not receive otherwise.
“Our chapter’s goal is that every member will have at least one document SAE project before graduation. These can include a variety of projects from showing livestock to owning their own business. Our chapter’s goal is to develop each student’s leadership potential, fine tune their speaking skills, and allow members to network with other members across the state,” explained Fetzer.
Developing their communication, leadership and citizenship skills are important life lessons that can be learned (and earned) when becoming an active FFA member.
“Members get to take advantage of being able to participate in contest events, attend leadership conventions, and spend time at monthly socials with our own members,” Fetzer explained.
The WACO chapter is very active on the local level. The members participate in almost all district contests and activities and outside of district level activities they have a monthly social, a feed the farmer project and an annual spring banquet.
“Our focus is on classroom learning and active participation in FFA events. Because we are a fairly new chapter, we have been limited to the number of our own events we have created,” explained Fetzer.
The WACO chapter members and their advisor are looking forward to moving into the new Eichelberger Farms Agi-Science Center in December and hope to be able to start next semester in the new facility.
“More information will be coming in the spring about our open house and the public events related to touring and hearing all about this project,” Fetzer said.
Some of the accomplishments the WACO chapter and its members have earned so far include June 2025-SE Iowa District Livestock Judging Champions, April 2025- To[ Individual for ID in State Biotechnology Contest, and in October 2024-11th in the Nation for Poultry Evaluation CDE.
When asked what makes and outstanding and active chapter, Fetzer replied, “the students!”
“The students are at the core of what I do,” he said. “They plan everything we do, sign up for contests, and excite each other for all the activities that we participate in.”
He said that chapters shouldn’t be compared because success looks different for each chapter because they each have their own communities and interests.
“Outstanding chapters put the students first and make the of most of all the three components of the three-circle model,” he said. “It is the goal of the WACO FFA to provide unique and valuable memories for all our students, whether they choose to participate in FFA activities outside the classroom or not.”
Two WACO seniors who have been in the WACO FFA Chapter for four years shared their enthusiasm for the experience.
“My favorite part about being an FFA member is the projects we do that I wouldn’t get to do in other classes,” said senior Raefe Davson. “I’ve learned how to weld, how to grow plants using hydroponics, how to install an outlet and more. The classes teach us real life skills.”
Raefe is proud of the barn quit he made and is looking forward to seeing how their vegetables turn out. The chapter also has an aquaponics setup with tilapia.
He said he would definitely encourage others to join FFA. Besides various classes to choose from there are multiple opportunities to travel, meet new people and do competitions against other schools. Raefe attended the FFA convention in October and said it was a really good experience.
“I enjoyed spending time with my classmates, the speakers, and being in an arena with a bunch of FFA members I saw how big an impact FFA makes on people,” Raefe said. “I feel super blessed with the great FFA chapter have.”
Senior Morgan Leichty is also an enthusiastic member of the WACO FFA. When asked if she would encourage others to join FFA she answered, “Yes, Yes, Yes!!! It’s a ton of fun and you will make lifetime memories.”
Morgan said she joined FFA because it was offered at the school and seemed like a fun thing to do. She had been in 4-H and knew people in FFA who encouraged her to join.
Her projects have included three years showing sheep, lots of CDF projects and events throughout the years. She is most proud of her communications skills.
“FFA has taught me how to advocate for others and myself,” she said.
She said she has learned teamwork, responsibility, hard work and determination, though her FFA experience.
“I like being able to give back to my community and members. Our community is so supportive of us,” Morgan said.
Morgan has attended three state conventions and two national conventions including this year’s.
A newbie to the WACO chapter, freshman Eli Jilpas has only been a member for two months but doesn’t hesitate to say, “Yes” when asked if he would encourage others to join. He admits the reason he joined was because being in an ag class automatically made him a member, but not necessarily an active member. Now that he is an active member, he said he enjoys the activities and feels proud that he decided to become an active member.
Wyatt Greiner, also a 9th grader and a first year FFA member, said he joined because, “I’d heard great things about it and Mr. Fetzer is a pretty cool dude.” Some of the things he’s participated in are going to the National Convention, Green-Hand Fire Up, and Ag Exploration Day.
“Getting to know my fellow members better and having fun,” are some of his favorite things about being an FFA member.
Beatrice Anderson, a senior, is a new member of the WACO FFA chapter, but is not new to FFA. She was a five-year (7th-11th) member of another chapter before transferring to WACO this year.
“When I joined FFA, I thought it was just for ‘ag kids.’ What I didn’t realize is that there is way more to FFA than just ag and anyone can join. I would encourage every single student to join FFA even if they don’t think it’s for them.”
“You get exposed to a variety of learning opportunities and you get to meet many new people,” she explained. Her biggest project is her SAE project, raising and showing goats. Two things she is most proud of as an FFA member are being the first member from the Crooked Creek FFA chapter to receive the Iowa Degree and learning to advocate for herself. She has attended four state conventions, the National once and is looking forward to attending more.
“What I enjoy most about conventions is the people and the atmosphere,“ she said.
“While agriculture is the foundation of the organization, you have the opportunity to grow as an individual and the opportunity to make yourself a better person,” she said. “If you think FFA isn’t for you, think again.”
It would be remiss not to mention the huge impact FFA advisors have on creating a thriving FFA chapter. According to the National FFA Organization, “A good FFA advisor is a leader who demonstrates strong communication and organization skills, has a deep knowledge of agriculture and is committed to the organization’s mission and keeps the student’s best interest at heart.”
Statistics from the National FFA Organization: FFA was founded in 1928. It is the largest career and technical student organization in the U.S. There are FFA chapters in every state plus the Virgin Islands and Porto Rico. According to 2025 records there are 9,407 chapters serving 1,042,245 students.
Fun fact: Taylor Swift was an FFA member of the Hendersonville, Tennessee Chapter as a teenager and sang at the National FFA Convention in 2008.
