Many South Dakota 4-H members benefit from FFA membership

Morning comes early for Jaclynn Knutson. The 18-year-old starts her days around 5 feeding her registered Rambouillet and Suffolk ewes and working with her show sheep.

Showing sheep in 4-H has been a passion of this Viborg-Hurley High School graduate since she was 3 - continuing a legacy which began when her dad, Jason, purchased registered ewes for his 4-H project.

"I've always been competitive and a lot of hard work and preparation goes into gaining a competitive-edge in the show ring," Knutson explains. "It begins before breeding season, when I select the right rams to breed to the ewes my sisters and I own together. It's always our goal to improve the genetics of our flock."

Along with showing sheep in 4-H, Knutson also took on leadership roles, serving as a 4-H club officer which she says further developed her confidence and communication skills. During her senior year of high school, she served as a state 4-H officer.

Since junior high, Knutson has also been actively involved in another youth leadership organization - FFA.

As an FFA member, Knutson discovered a knack for public speaking, winning several state competitions and going on to compete at the national level in Career Development Events. This spring, Knutson was selected to serve as the 2016-2017 South Dakota State FFA Reporter. In this role, she is one of six college students who serve as role models, leadership mentors and agricultural advocates to the more than 4,000 junior high and high school students who belong to the South Dakota FFA Association.

Dual membership in both 4-H and FFA is not unique, says Sonia Mack, SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Program Advisor. "There are a good number of 4-H members who are also FFA members. As a result you have a large group of confident youth leaders who have gained a lot of experience and exposure to help them build self-confidence, self-esteem and life skills which benefit not only them, but their communities."

Mack explained that although the exact number of South Dakota youth who are members in both organizations is not known, she believes the reason many names show up on both rosters is because of the organizations' shared roots in agriculture and similar focus to help youth develop personal and professional leadership skills through projects, competition, team work and community engagement.

"Over time both organizations have also done a great job adapting from their original target audience of farm kids and rural communities to engage youth from all backgrounds and urban as well as rural communities," says Mack, of 4-H, founded in 1902 and FFA, established in 1928.

Partnering within communities

The commonalities shared between the two organizations extends to their leadership.

Alicia Petersen, says her involvement in FFA as a junior high and high school student is the reason she pursued a degree in agriculture education and applied for her current position as the SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Program Advisor for McCook County.

"FFA is the reason I was interested in this position. There are so many parallels between the two organizations. Both teach youth great life skills, responsibility and service to our communities," Petersen explains. "In high school I played sports, which I enjoyed. But FFA was the thing I got to throw my heart and soul into. I see this same passion in many of the 4-H members I get to work with."

For several years now, Petersen has worked closely with the McCook Central FFA Advisor, Terry Rieckman to engage 4-H and FFA members in community service projects. Each school year the teens host a farm safety day for local elementary students. "It makes sense to do a lot of community service projects together because there is a lot of overlap between students who are in FFA and also members of 4-H," said Rieckman, who retired in May 2016 after serving as an FFA Advisor and Agriculture Education Instructor for 32 years.

In fact, a few years ago, the McCook Central FFA Chapter began paying 4-H dues for FFA members who were not already 4-H members. "Being members of both organizations provides more opportunities for our members," Rieckman explains.

Logan Hoffman would agree. "I'm more of a go-get-em and driven person thanks to my involvement in 4-H and FFA. Both organizations taught me how to connect with other people and have helped me become a well-rounded person," says Hoffman, who was introduced to both organizations at a young age. Her parents are 4-H alumni and her dad, spent his career as an FFA Advisor/ Agriculture Education Instructor.

As a teen Hoffman was looking for summer camp opportunities, Googled and learned about 4-H Teen Leadership Camp. She signed up and along with connecting with peers from across South Dakota, she developed a keen interest in serving on the state 4-H council. She is currently serving her second term as a State 4-H officer. She also serves with Knutson as a State FFA Officer.

Hoffman explains that the skills she developed serving as a State 4-H Officer last year - listening skills and group planning - have already helped her in her new role as a State FFA Officer.

"These organizations don't compete with each other for members - they truly complement each other," Petersen says.