During the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo, the national officers on stage are not the only ones telling the stories of FFA and agriculture. The 2023-24 #SpeakAg Pioneers are also equipped to tell these stories with excellence and passion.
Florida FFA state officer Mackenzie Cunningham is one of this year’s #SpeakAg Pioneers. Alongside 16 state officers from across the country, Cunningham has engaged in training workshops, which were led by iconic storytellers Raegan Pugh and Jason Wetzler, throughout national convention this week. She also learned how to plan a virtual workshop and gained additional skills that will come in handy when engaging with FFA members in the future.
During their year of service, the #SpeakAg Pioneers, who are selected after an application process, promote agricultural advocacy and literacy to both members and the general public by hosting workshops and creating content for social media. These young leaders also attend national events, including National Ag Day, where they interact with local, state and national policymakers.
By design, the impact of this program will last far beyond the #SpeakAg Pioneer one-year term.
“I plan to use my training within my future major,” Cunningham says. “I hope to become a lawyer focused in agriculture. It would be an amazing opportunity to put these communication skills to use to advocate for farmers and those involved in agriculture.”
Article edited by newsroom reporter Adrian Schunk.
