FFA Member of the Week: Cat Facts and Ryan Facts

Name: Ryan Peterson

FFA Chapter: Hutchinson

Year in School: Junior

Favorite Color: Green

Fun Fact: I love to hunt and fish.

Favorite Cat Fact: Cats have a self-righting reflex, this is why they land on their feet.

Ryan first got started into agricultural education by first taking a companion animals class in 9th grade, then he decided to try the poultry evaluation career development events. Ryan was drawn to the organization by a personal drive to learn more about FFA, the different aspects of agriculture, and also gain friendships that are typically developed within FFA.

As a member of the Hutchinson FFA chapter, Ryan has been involved with both the poultry evaluation and parliamentary procedure CDE teams. He’s also been an active participant in many chapter activities such as the Hutchinson FFA Fall Color 5K Run, Farm Products and Safety Day, and a petting zoo for younger elementary students.

Ryan’s favorite part of FFA so far has definitely been meeting people who have the same passion for agriculture, and then also meeting new people who he know will become his lifelong friends. A fun fact about Ryan is that he loves to make new friends by informing them about cat facts! He’s had the opportunity to attend both state and national FFA conventions, meet tons of people by attending these conventions, and this year he will have the privilege to serve his FFA chapter as president!

To make an impact on the community through agricultural education, Ryan participates in every event that FFA offers to the community. One of his passions is educating students and community members in Hutchinson about agriculture through outreach activities and programs that the chapter performs.

Besides just the community being up to date on what the FFA chapter is up to, Ryan also helps the local alumni understand what activities are happening with Hutchinson’s agricultural education department.

Growing is important for individuals and chapters in FFA, and Ryan has encouraged growth for his chapter by bringing back the chapter’s corn drive and Farmer Appreciation Day at a local cooperative in which all proceeds benefitted Camp Courage.

Not only has Ryan helped shape his chapter tremendously by investing time into many of the local activities and promoting what FFA is doing, but he also credits the organization with shaping him too, “FFA has helped me developed many of my leadership skills as well as many lifelong skills that will help me as I work towards my future career.” A future career is one of the ultimate goals of our organization, and Ryan is attesting to that statement.

When thinking about future plans down the road, Ryan would like to set off on two different paths or both paths at the same time - being the next generation to help run the family farm and/or becoming a veterinarian. Good luck to Ryan on his future endeavors as a very involved FFA chapter member, and congratulations on being selected as FFA member of the week!