Second generation: New generations follow paths — and forge their own — in FFA

AMBOY, Ill. — They might be family, their moms are sisters, but when it comes to FFA, Emma Dinges and Natalie Pratt go their own way.

“We don’t really do the same things,” Emma said.

For Emma, a junior at Amboy High School, it’s livestock. Her Supervised Agricultural Experience includes goat production, food service and sheep production.

Natalie, a sophomore at Amboy, is focusing on ag communications and a homegrown popcorn business.

What the cousins do have in common is family — and FFA.

What they also have in common is a family tradition, through their mothers, not only of FFA membership, but of FFA leadership.

Emma currently serves as the Section 2 vice president. Natalie is the Section 2 reporter.

Those are offices that their mothers, sisters Katie Dallam Pratt and Stacey Dallam Dinges, held when they were members of the Franklin Center High School FFA.

For their mothers, their daughters’ FFA experiences, and that of Natalie’s older brother Ethan, illustrate the wide appeal and opportunities of FFA.

“You can have a kid who wants to perform and do public speaking and band, all of that stuff. You can have a kid who likes animals and caring for animals and showing animals and you can have a kid who likes to drive a tractor. And there is a place in FFA for all of those kids to succeed, whatever it is they choose to do,” Katie said.

Katie served as the Illinois FFA state reporter in 1996-1997 and Stacey followed her sister as state reporter, serving in that office for the 1997-1998 term. Their brother, Brian Dallam, served as state treasurer in 2003-2004.

“At Franklin Center, everybody was in FFA. I was an FFA member because everybody else did it, not because I knew what the organization was. It was because when you became a freshman, you signed up for FFA,” Katie said.

While their father, Gail Dallam, was in FFA when he was in high school, it was Katie who was what she calls “the guinea pig” for her younger sister and brother when it came to FFA and leadership in FFA.

“Our dad was in FFA, but I was the first one who was a section officer and then it was, well, I’m going to run for state office,” Katie said.

One of the big changes that Katie and Stacey see, from their journey in FFA, to their daughters’ experiences, so far, is that the next generations are taking full advantage of all that FFA has to offer.

“We just didn’t understand the breadth of what FFA was and what it could be. It’s cool to watch these two and Ethan take advantage of all the opportunities,” Katie said.

“I think we were still learning what those opportunities were, so we weren’t as inclined to jump on board and say, sure, we want to do livestock judging or whatever. We sat back and watched it. So, it’s cool to see them taking advantage of all of it.”

Like their daughters, each sister had a different FFA experience.

“When I was in it, I think that, for me, it was a place that I belonged. I felt like I found my people. I found other people who wanted to talk about cows as much as I wanted to talk about cows. And I was attracted by the leadership opportunities, even though I was an introvert — and still am,” Katie said.

Stacey followed her sister into FFA.

“I just did it because everybody else did it in high school. I don’t think I was my ag teacher’s favorite. He thought my priorities weren’t where they needed to be. I was very social, so I was like, sure, I’ll do this because everybody else is, not necessarily because I wanted to,” Stacey said.

While she may have followed her sister and her friends into FFA, Stacey said the independence, responsibility and confidence she learned through her FFA experiences are some of the biggest takeaways.

“Looking back now and seeing it through the eyes of a parent whose child is involved in it now, the responsibility and independence that it forced me into is probably the greatest takeaway. But in the moment, when I was doing it, I don’t think I saw it that way,” Stacey said.

Another benefit was the enduring friendships that came out of her FFA years.

“For me, is that the people who were on my state officer team are very important in my life. My kids know them, they know who they are, I’ve shared stories about them. We came from all different walks of life and we live all across the country now, but I am very proud of the fact that we keep in touch,” Stacey said.

That is a lesson that her daughter has embraced.

“I’ve learned from her about how being in FFA and being active in FFA can build friendships and relationships. I like that I have friends around the state that I have made through FFA,” Emma said.

Stacey went on to become a teacher and taught sixth grade for 11 years. She now works as a digital teaching and learning specialist at the Lee/Ogle/Whiteside Regional Office of Education.

Stacey and her husband, Nick Dinges, also have a son, Jake, who will be a freshman next year at Amboy High School.

Katie, and her husband, Andy, farm with his family. Katie has worked as the Lee County Ag in the Classroom coordinator for 10 years.

For Emma and Natalie, their mothers serve as an FFA resource.

“When Mr. Heavner asks us something in class, I can go home and ask my mom about it and she’ll explain it, so I feel like she helps me a lot with FFA stuff,” Emma said.

Emma and her cousin, Ethan, have been recommended to receive the state FFA degree this year.

They also appreciate the continuity — and the responsibility — that comes with wearing the blue jacket.

“It brings a sense of tradition back to a world where there’s not a lot of tradition these days and I like that about it. I’ve learned from my mom that when you’re wearing the blue jacket, you’re representing your chapter, your school and your family,” Natalie said.

Even as they follow in their mothers’ footsteps, they are forging their own way in FFA.

“I think they are proud of us because we are in the blue jacket, no matter if we are a section officer or not. They know we are trying. If we didn’t want to do it, it’s not like they would force us to. We’re doing what we are doing by our choice,” Natalie said.