Our Rural Roots

Katie Pratt, Contributor

Plan A solidly took shape Dec. 3, 2024, when my farmer, daughter and I strolled off the campus of Oklahoma State University and agreed, "This is it."

We met every deadline, applied for the scholarships, secured housing and convinced ourselves that 10 hours wasn't that far away.

However, while she was gearing up for life after high school, my daughter was also preparing to run for a state office with the Illinois FFA -- the other Plan A.

Here's how the process works. In February, an intent to run and application are submitted. In April, candidates gather for a day of interviews. The selection committee assesses each candidate's ability to work with others, present a workshop and converse easily with others. By 6 p.m. that night, only 10 members walk into the next phase -- elections during the state FFA convention.

Candidates come prepared with six speeches to be delivered to the delegate body of approximately 450 FFA members. Candidates speak. Delegates vote. And, five hours later, six new officers have been elected.

On June 12, 2025, our farm princess was elected president of Illinois FFA. She postpones attending college for one year to travel Illinois and beyond in service to the membership, supporting businesses and the agriculture community.

The amazing piece of this story is 30 years ago, I did the same thing, serving as state reporter. I handed that office to my sister the next year. My brother served as the state treasurer six years later, and 21 years after that, my niece wrapped her year as state treasurer.

I've joked that our family blood runs blue and gold, and the line runs as true as rows of corduroy. But, opportunities like this are more than just following footsteps. This is a new generation, building a legacy on its own terms. Agriculture needs voices. Sometimes, a new path is just what is needed to show us the future.

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-- Katie Pratt writes and shares her love of agriculture from a north-central Illinois farm. Find her writing blog at https://theillinoisfarmgirl.com/…

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