Students Travel to Ag Expo

"A lways make ethi- cal decisions", was the main focus of the presentation delivered by two representa- tives of the Better Business Bureau February 7 at the Farm Forum in Spokane.

Nineteen Waitsburg FFA members boarded a bus ear- ly in the morning and headed to the Agricultural Expo- sition, a three-day event held at the Spokane Convention Center. Thursday was "FFA Day, which meant numer- ous chapters from all over Eastern Washington came together to listen to speakers and learn about agriculture.

Our day started off with some fun games, courtesy of the Washington State FFA Officer Team. We then took a moment of silence to recognize long-time Wash- ington State FFA Advisor Wayne Gillman who passed away Feb. 3.

About 400 FFA-ers were present when representatives of the BBB led a seminar about ethics. The two speak- ers, one of whom is the president of the Better Business Bureau of Spokane, told us that you can decide if a decision is ethical by asking yourself these questions:

"Is it legal? Will every- one involved benefit? Will I feel good about myself afterwards? Will it build better relationships?" If you answer no to any of these questions, your decision is not an ethical one.

With this new information in our heads, we set out to the Ag Expo where we spent more than an hour checking out the 200 plus different informational booths. From farm equipment manufactur- ers to college recruiters to fertilizer developers, every aspect of the agricultural industry was represented.

Each vendor was ready to answer questions asked by high schoolers in the symbolic blue FFA jackets, and they reciprocated the act by asking us questions about what we do in FFA and "Where in the world is Waitsburg?"

Many Touchet Valley businesses and organizations were represented at the hall, such as McGregor's, Wil- bur-Ellis and Les Schwab, as well as some familiar community members; all of whom have been huge supporters of local FFA Chapters.

Eventually, it was time to leave the expo, but not before taking our picture in front of the massive, red, Case IH Combine.

After a quick lunch we were off to Laser Quest in downtown Spo- kane to go head to head in some friendly competition. After run- ning around in the artificial fog and ducking be- hind neon-splattered barriers for 15 minutes, a winner was declared. Kelcey Scott took home the champion status!

While we were at Laser Quest, one of the employees informed us that he was an active FFA member in high school and even ran for a state office! It just goes to show that no matter where you go, FFA, and agriculture in general, always has a way of bringing people together!

Whether it's a passerby asking about our jackets or an FFA alumnus sharing a story from their time in the organization, FFA helps unite our communities and our nation, and the Waits- burg FFA Chapter will defi- nitely be returning to the Ag Expo next year!

Kimmie Hamann is sec- retary of the Waitsburg FFA Chapter