By Matt B. Walen
by Matt B. Walen
The Havre Daily News
Tuesday, May 11
Montanas future leaders are making great strides by participating in worthy school activities such as Future Farmers of America, according to the states governor.
Gov. Marc Racicot delivered the keynote address Monday night to about 95 Chinook FFA members, family members and friends attending annual FFA Parent and Member awards banquet held at St. Gabriels Catholic Church.
Racicot said he is always impressed by the states youth for their many accomplishments whether it be in the classrooms or on the playing fields or in academic competitions.
My spirit is renewed, he said. I will leave here with more than what I brought. You are a great source of pride.
The three pillars of Future Farmers of America include brotherhood, agriculture and leadership and these same keys are important to the states future, Racicot said.
Brotherhood and the act of sharing companionship helps keep Montana communities alive, Racicot said. Montanans 900,000 strong across the state all feel a connection to each other in the many communities, he said.
That sense of family, the sense of community is a possibility in Chinook, Mont., he said.
The community members work in establishing their ways of living which in turn helps build the community, Racicot said. The FFA members learn this brotherhood through the variety of activities, including fund-raising activities and competitions, he said.
This brotherhood also includes having the opportunity to view Gods work, Racicot said.
Montanans get to see Gods work through agriculture and that separates the state from the rest of America, Racicot said. Americans who live in the big cities view mans work daily, he said.
Montanans appreciation of working the land also translates into wanting to stay close to home, a building of community, he said.
Many of Montanas communities are tied into the world of agriculture, Racicot said. The agriculture industry is the No. 1 industry in Montana and will continue to be tops in the future, he said.
It has to be... Anyone who eats ought to be interested in agriculture, he said. But there are people who have no idea where their food comes from.
Sustaining rural communities is vital to the agriculture industry and to the state, Racicot said.
If we dont have rural communities... we dont have Montana, he said. These communities are important for the soul of America.
Improving Montanas communities and the agriculture industry for the states many producers takes great leaders, Racicot said. Like the many plentiful wheat crops Montana has produced for decades, student leaders have grown and been nurtured in the Big Sky state, he said.
Every day by example... we set standards that we are willing to live by, he said. Without them, we will fall for anything.
Chinook FFA advisor Chad Massar handed out many awards to many different Chinook FFA members following Racicots speech.
