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Sectional Information - Section Eight
Sam Tauchen - Treasurer
Bonduel FFA Chapter - Section 8
stauchen@wisconsinffa.org
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The State Fair!!!
Aug. 13, 2010
Busy! Busy! Busy! Between Veggie Races and the Discovery Barn, each day down at state fair has been a full one. BUT I would not have asked for anything better to do. While in the Discovery Barn, I have been able to work with many great members from Suring, West De Pere, Lodi, and Big Foot. It has made for many good memories, and it is great to see the fairgoers get a glimpse into the farm life. The Veggie Races have been full of enthusiasm and the children just love it. I have also gained a new skill in the art of constructing race cars out of veggies. It took a little while. But after making a number of bad cars, I can now make a pretty amazing car out of vegetables.
Lastly, the food is fantastic. The people are interesting, and fair is a great place to be. If you have not made it to the Wisconsin State Fair, I hope you have a chance to visit the last couple days of the fair.
Ag Road Trip!
Jul. 29, 2010
Yesterday, I traveled down to Milwaukee with more than 40 members from the Winneconne Chapter for their annual Ag Road Trip. This was their fifth year taking the trip, and it seems that this tradition will continue into the future. On our way we stopped at Growing Power Community Food Center in Milwaukee for a tour. They provide locally grown produce to the members of their community while practicing sustainability. It was very neat to learn how they compost in the city and grow many crops ranging from peas to mushrooms in their greenhouses. They also collect sun light to power their facilities, and process biomass to create acidic acid that is eventually converted into methane. After the tour, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the Brewers game to complete the evening. It was a very sunny day, and I definitely got some color. The color being: bright RED. The sunburn was worth it though. I was able to hang out and get to know many of the members, and have many laughs together. A big thank you goes out to the Winneconne Chapter for inviting me. I had a blast, and I hope to see everyone again throughout this year.
Flying to Tennessee
Jul. 29, 2010
July 17-21 - Last week, Laura, Ethan, Alicia and I hopped on a plane in Minneapolis and headed down to the Knoxville, Tennessee for the NICE Conference. The conference is held annually for students across the country to learn and experience cooperatives in a high energy, creative, and informative conference. During the conference, we did everything from working with different groups to listening to speakers and even riding roller costars at Dollywood.
As attendees of the conference we were split into groups for three different simulations. The first one we sold a product to the participants at the conference. My group sold “Silly Bands”, and I have to say it was a perfect fit because we were definitely not normal and silly would be a good adjective to describe us. The second we were presented with a problem, and we had to creatively come up with a viable solution. Lastly, we did a virtual simulation on the computer where we managed a cooperative. I enjoyed the last one the most because one, I love technology and two, I just adored the fact that we were able to work with mostly numbers. I guess there is a little nerd in me.
The experience of being down in Tennessee was very rewarding, and I can say I learned a great deal about cooperatives. Tennessee was amazing, but it is definitely NICE to be back home in the great state of Wisconsin.
July 22 - After flying back, we headed to river falls for the night to join our teammates and take part in the last day of Farm Technology Days. Every year Farm Technology Days is in a different county in the state and people come from all over to see booths from various businesses and machinery vendors in this mini city they construct. The last day was quite wet, and was eventually cancelled in the late morning due to the heavy rain. Prior to cancelling, we were there early just in case it cleared in order to eventually give farm tours to the attendees. After waiting it out, we were eventually told we could leave to go back home. On our way out we were met with a little more resistance as if the rain was not enough. The field did not want us to leave, and we ultimately needed the assistance of a tractor to push Ethan’s car out of the field. That day even though it was unsuccessful will definitely not be something I will be able to forget for a long time.
And We're Back
Jul. 11, 2010
What a week down in Springfield, Illinois. National officers, Alex Henry and Chealsea Doss, presented many sessions that involved everything from teambuilding to conference planning. The Wisconsin State Officers attended with state officers from Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky. It was great to get to know the other state officers, and by the end of the week we were able to laugh together and pick on one other like we were long lost brothers and sisters. Besides attending sessions we were able to visit the Lincoln Museum which was very interactive and a state of the art facility. It was also very humid down there so we quenched our thirst at the local sonic. After slurping down my slushy, I can now officially say I have been to a sonic. Thank you Illinois, It is an accomplishment I will remember for a long time. Overall the week was… AMAZING, and it has been awesome to not only meet many people but to also to make many friends.
On Wednesday Ethan, Whitney, and I will be heading down for the first annual Northeast Golf Outing in Wrightstown where we will hopefully be having a lot of fun in the sun. During the rest of the week we have little going on which will be great to catch up on everything. I would also like to add that if anyone needs any help, information, or just wants to talk do not be afraid to email me or send me a message on Facebook. This year is going to be amazing and I can not wait to meet and get to know fellow members.
Lastly, in the spirit of the Lincoln museum, I would like to end this blog with a quote “Things may come to those who wait...but only the things left by those who hustle” Abraham Lincoln.
Drum roll please...The Theme is
Jul. 03, 2010
All I have to say is WOW. The past two weeks have been full of learning, excitement, and hard work.
June 20-24 - My fellow officers and I spent a week with BLAST OFF Trainer Cory Epler. We did everything from getting organized to learning about our strengths. The best part of the week involved an activity called “Me in a Box,” where we shared stories and learned a little bit about one another.
June 25 - A couple of my teammates and I headed down to Madison for day to help with the United States Department of Agriculture and Department of Justice Joint Agriculture Workshop. We had a blast helping with the workshop and meeting many different agricultural leaders from around the country and state. I cannot go without saying the ice cream was a great way to end the day.
June 27-July 1 - On the Morning of the 27th I headed to the Shawano County Brunch on the Farm at Green Valley Dairy. There were many people coming from all over to see the animals, listen to the speakers, and of course fill their bellies with some great food. I helped help cook sausages and hash browns while other area FFA members cooked eggs and helped with parking. Anna and Amy visited the brunch, and then we headed down to Madison for the Wisconsin Association of Agricultural Educators (WAAE) Conference.
At the conference, I had a great time meeting and eating dinner with many advisors from around the state including a couple from the Great Section 8. It was cool to get to know them a little and see their passion for agricultural education. After talking with them, I am very excited to travel around Section 8 seeing all the different chapters and meeting a ton of members.
It was a busy week, and I would just like to thank my teammates for working hard and accomplishing a lot at WAAE Conference. It is going to be a fantastic year.
I almost forgot…drum roll please…THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR IS “Powered by Potential.”
*This next week we are heading down to Springfield, Illinois for National Leadership Conference for State Officers (NLCSO), and we are excited to meet the Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri State Officer Teams.
Have a great 4th of July,
Sam
A Start to a Great Year
Jun. 21, 2010
As the 81st Wisconsin State Convention has come to a close, a new exciting year has begun once again. I am very excited for my year of service in the Wisconsin Association of FFA. At convention, I met and shared stories with Dylan, Bradly, and Mason from Gresham, and I can not wait to do the same thing with many more members during this year.
Today, I am heading off to Blast Off Training to start my year of service. This afternoon will be the first time we get together as a team to share our ideas and make plans to really make a difference. I am confident that this year is going to be full of many amazing conferences, activities, and conventions. It is going to be a great year full of growing, achieving, and most importantly having a ton of fun.
Have a great week,
Sam
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