Country Lifestyles
Texas FFA Officers Austin Blagg & Windsor Godfrey
By Dani Blackburn, [email protected]
With today’s FFA experience providing a vast array of pathways, it is common to see the student leader’s experiences reflect agricultural education diversity. This year’s Texas FFA State President Windsor Godfrey, Area IV, and Area V Representative Austin Blagg are utilizing their unique backgrounds to serve the largest state association in the nation.
Both representatives refer to their journeys to state office as nontraditional, yet it was their names announced at state convention as two of the 12 officers for 2022-23. For Godfrey, she explains she did not grow up on a large farm and in fact, her small school in a town of only 500 did not even have an FFA charter until her junior year. When she ran for area officer, she said no one even knew her name.
“There are many, many people who have fit the stereotypical FFA mold and been extremely successful, it just wasn’t me. I think I am a very average FFA member. I just wasn’t exceptional when it came to competitive events and things you normally see in a state officer. That summer between my junior and senior year at the convention, I looked up on stage and felt as if there was no one like me up there. I knew I had every ability to be a state officer and had the qualifications, so I decided to run because I wanted other members to be able to look up on stage and say, ‘She’s just like me.’ To understand they don’t have to have fancy titles, banners or buckles to lead our organization. All you must do is go up there and show people exactly who you are and what you are able to give,” Godfrey said.
Meanwhile, growing up in an up-and-coming city, Blagg’s upbringing also was far from typical.
“I had more of an untraditional FFA background. I grew up in Frisco, which is not necessarily the most rural of places. None of my immediate family was involved in FFA. There was no passing it down from generation to generation. My main goal was to prove that regardless of what your background is or if you are a state or grand champion, if your intentions are positive and you are dedicated enough to become an officer, then it is an option for anyone who wants it,” Blagg said.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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