Growing the future of agriculture

Iowa’s Holly Schmitt takes FFA leadership to the next level.

By the time she turns over the gavel to the next Iowa State FFA president this spring, Holly Schmitt will have driven more than 20,000 miles in her little red SUV and flown another 20,000 — all to personally connect with those who are the future of farming.

Schmitt, the daughter of AMPI members Greg and Sara Schmitt of Fort Atkinson, Iowa, leads the 2023-2024 state officer team serving the 19,200 members of the Iowa FFA Association. Her election to the top post was announced during the final session of the 95th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference last April. 

“This year has been a whirlwind of traveling, busyness, meeting new people and growing as a leader,” the college sophomore said, ticking off a lengthy list of chapter visits, leadership development conferences and visits with agribusiness and government officials. 

“The most fulfilling part for me has been working directly with students and helping them grow as individuals,” she said. “Throughout the year, I’ve had the opportunity to meet hundreds of FFA members and learn about their agriculture experience and what makes  them unique.”

Holly Schmitt addresses members at the 2023 Iowa FFA Leadership Conference. 

Schmitt believes the future is bright for FFA members.

“You never know if the next state FFA president, national FFA officer, industry leader or public servant is sitting in the group of students you are working with,” she said. “The potential and possibility for FFA members in the agriculture industry is exciting.”

She and members of the leadership team have already visited 58 of the state’s 260 student chapters, but they aren’t finished yet. 

“February 17-24 is National FFA Week this year, and we will engage more than 30 different chapters during the week,” the president reported.

The marathon visits come on the heels of an international adventure for Schmitt and four of her state officer teammates. In early January, they visited Australia to tour farms and learn about the country’s agriculture during an FFA-led international leadership experience. 

The young woman’s get-it-done attitude has won admiration from Scott Johnson, executive director of the Iowa FFA Association. He credits her dairy farm upbringing for some of her most desirable traits.

“Some of her greatest strengths that serve her well as the Iowa FFA president are the same characteristics you would expect to be developed on a dairy farm: outstanding work ethic and impressive attention to detail,” he said.

Dairy roots

Home for the FFA president is the family farm situated in the rolling hills and bluffs of northeast Iowa between Fort Atkinson and St. Lucas. At Schmitt Dairy Inc., extended family is involved in caring for a 600-head Holstein milking herd and growing about 1,500 acres of corn and hay. 

“My cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents are all part of the operation,” Schmitt said. The family has marketed their milk through AMPI since 2017.

The Schmitts also raise dairy steers, an enterprise in which Holly has taken an active role.

“You could say I’m a ‘certified gate opener,’” she jokes about helping her father check steers, fill feeders and change bedding. Before leaving for college, she divided farm chores with her seven siblings.

One of Schmitt’s fondest memories of growing up on a dairy farm involves showing a calf in the bottle bucket show at the Winneshiek County Fair. 

“Instead of being judged for correctness of the animal, we were judged on our knowledge gained during the project,” she said. “I see a lot of value in this type of show because it focuses more on the student than the animal. It forces the student to learn and do the work themselves.”

Sticking with ag

Schmitt has juggled her presidential duties with studies at Iowa State University. She’s a sophomore pursuing dual degrees in agricultural education and event management. Her FFA experiences cemented plans to become a
 teacher, a vocation that will allow her to continue inspiring students to pursue a future in agriculture. 

It’s a safe bet that she’ll repeat to her future students the story of how she came to be a member of FFA, years before becoming its top student leader. Her candid tale might surprise some since she admits that activities such as 4-H and sports initially ranked much higher on her priority list than FFA meetings at South Winneshiek High School.

“As a freshman, I didn’t feel like FFA was for me, and I contemplated quitting. With encouragement from my family and ag teacher, I stuck it out,” she confessed. “That simple choice turned out to be one of the most impactful decisions of my life.” 

She realized she enjoyed both the people and the ag curriculum. She participated in several career and leadership development events,

including public speaking. Pursuing chapter leadership was the first step toward a bigger role in the organization.

“As my time in FFA drew to a close at the end of my senior year, I decided to run for state office,” she said. “I wanted to help students who at first didn’t feel like they belonged in the ag room to find their place in the organization.” 

After seven rounds of interviews, an on-stage speech and over 400 voting delegates placing their ballots, Schmitt was elected state secretary. A year later, she was the organization’s president.

On April 16, she’ll officially hang up her blue jacket to focus fully on her college education. Before that, though, Schmitt will visit with AMPI members at the co-op’s annual meeting in February. 

Along with words of thanks for AMPI’s longtime support of FFA and other youth development programs like 4-H, she’ll share some farm-grown food for thought.

“If there is one thing that dairy farm families should know about FFA, it is that FFA is growing leaders for the industry now and developing innovators to make life on the dairy farm better.” DD

{contributing writer Donna F. Abernathy}