WAITSBURG FFA REPS ADDRESS GLOBAL AG LEADERS

WAITSBURG - "There were men from sixty different countries. They were all in business suits, and I'm just walking around in my boots, and I'm like, 'I don't belong here.'"

In some ways, Waitsburg High School senior Mikala DeRuwe had a good reason to feel out of context. She, WHS graduate Kimmie Hamann, and WHS FFA advisor Nicole Abel were about to give a presentation before global leaders in the agriculture industry. The venue would be the sumptuous Grand Ballroom at San Francisco's Westin St. Francis hotel, a ten-thousand square-foot space lit by fifteen glimmering crystal chandeliers.

On the other hand, the trio certainly earned their slot on the World Fertilizer Conference's schedule.

It all began at the 2013 State FFA convention, where Abel and Hamann learned about the Helping Communities Grow program. Chapters successfully completing the program received $500 and the chance to win additional cash prizes at the state level.

Hamann took the lead on Waitsburg's project, teaming up with fellow FFA members to give lessons on plant-nutrient interactions, nutrient deficiencies, and soil properties in 7th and 8th grade science classes. Abel incorporated the same curriculum into her 9thgrade Agricultural Science class. The project culminated with all three classes taking soil samples from a local farmer's field, then analyzing data from previous years and determining what crops it was best suited for.

The project placed first among Washington State's entries - and then, to Abel's and Hamann's surprise, first at the national level as well.

"It's crazy," said Hamann. "It feels pretty amazing to not only have won at the state level, but to have been the best of all the projects in the nation."

The prize included a $5,000 grant and an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco to present their project at the World Fertilizer Conference. Abel and Hamann were accompanied by Waitsburg FFA chapter president Mikala DeRuwe.

"Kimmie is the lead on this," Abel stated. "She deserves the credit. Mikala and I just tagged along."

The three arrived in San Francisco on Sunday, September 7. They met with Simplot's regional representative and two employees of the Nutrients for Life Foundation, which sponsored the contest. They spent Monday exploring the city.

"They told us they wanted us to experience San Francisco while they were there," said Hamann.

They visited the Ghirardelli chocolate factory, where they stocked up on candy and sampled the company's famous hot cocoa. "Everyone said that if you're going to Ghirardelli, you have to try the hot chocolate," said Hamann.

The three rode one of the city's famous cable cars, visited Pier 39, walked to the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, and ate lunch at Boudin Sourdough Bakery. In the evening, Rick Phillips, Simplot's regional representative, took them out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.

"We went to different restaurants we didn't have in our area, like Cheesecake Factory," said DeRuwe. She recalls convincing Hamann to try lamb for the first time, "which is pretty ironic, because she raises lambs."

The group had the opportunity to practice their presentation for a few minutes on Sunday and Monday nights. On Tuesday morning, they gave it before over 400 fertilizer CEOs at the Saint Francis.

"The girls were in their FFA official dress, setting them apart from the group, which was not hard as the room was dominated with males in business suits over the age of 40 speaking several different languages," Abel said.

The Waitsburg group's presentation was first on the morning's agenda. The presentation lasted about ten minutes - six hundred seconds that neither DeRuwe nor Hamann will forget anytime soon.

"It was pretty cool," said Hamann. "All the fertilizer reps and everyone we were presenting to, I think they paid close attention to us. We had a lot of important figures come up to us and tell us that we did a good job. We definitely had their attention. They were excited to hear about our project."

"Everyone was really nice to us," DeRuwe added.

The group was the first of only two presenters that morning.

"Kim and Mikala gave a flawless presentation," said Abel. "Everyone knew Waitsburg FFA, and why two teenagers were attending their conference. I could not have been happier with these two young ladies. They presented themselves professionally, and represented the Waitsburg FFA, Washington State, and the National FFA Organization fabulously."

Before they returned to Waitsburg, "we were able to go to Chinatown," said Hamann. "We got to go to a tea shop; there's probably a hundred different teas you can try, and they make it right in front of you."

They arrived home that night around ten o'clock.

"Basically, we crammed a lot of sightseeing into two days," said Hamann. "It was fun."

DeRuwe already has her eyes set on another round of the competition. "If we win next year," she told me, "we get to go to Boston."

For Hamann, the trip was the perfect capstone to a distinguished FFA career, during which she served as the Waitsburg chapter's vice president.

"I've been able to make a lot of good connections with different people in the ag industry," she said. "It's definitely been a really amazing experience."