The Worrells, clockwise from top left: Dakota, Donald, Richard, Jeremy and Greg.
Growing up in Enderlin, N.D., Dakota Worrell remembers his dad, Jeremy Worrell, telling him stories about his time as an FFA member. So when Dakota started going to Enderlin FFA meetings in middle school, he felt an immediate connection to the other members.
“Everyone has similar interests,” Dakota recalls. “I made a lot of friends along the way, and it was always cool going to state conventions in the summer and getting to see those people.”
Dakota is a third-generation FFA member. His grandfather, Greg Worrell, was a member of Hudson FFA in Hudson, Wis., from 1968 to 1972; his father, Jeremy was a member of Unity FFA in Balsam Lake, Wis., from 1991 to 1993.
The motivations for joining the organization were all different: Greg worked as a meat cutter in high school and wanted to learn more about livestock and meat judging to improve his job skills; Jeremy was curious about careers in agriculture; and Dakota just wanted to learn new things.
“FFA gave me an appreciation for the role that agriculture plays in all aspects of our daily lives,” Jeremy says. “People respect FFA; it adds a whole different level of experience and values.”
Looking back on his time in FFA, Jeremy most appreciated the camaraderie and friendships he developed in his chapter and during state and national FFA conventions. Dakota, who participated in several ag mechanics competitions, learned skills that he uses in his current role in the U.S. Marine Corps.
It’s been 50 years since Greg participated in FFA, but he still is using the skills he learned in his agriculture classes.
“Ag classes offered a lot of things I wanted to know,” Greg says. “I participated in the welding programs and competitions, and I’m still welding everything from broken tractor parts to corner braces most every day.”
The Worrells agree that core values such as hard work, dedication and discipline that FFA instilled have been valuable throughout their lives.
The same values Greg was taught decades ago, including Living to Serve, are still taught in FFA; it’s one of the reasons Dakota hopes his future children will become the fourth generation of the Worrell family to join FFA.
“I learned a lot that is helping me in my life,” Dakota says. “I want to strive to carry on the tradition.”
