Left to Right
Front Haley Carlson, Emily McDermott, Marshal McDermott (seated), Adam Freund, Clayton Saeugling. Back Row Eric Miller and Representative Jack Drake.

Five Atlantic FFA Officers attended the 30th Annual FFA Legislative Symposium on January 27, 2015. The Legislative Symposium is a chance for Iowa FFA members to advocate to their district senator and representative. Atlantic members arrived at the FFA Enrichment Center for a layout of the day. After opening ceremonies, FFA members listened to two guest speakers, Craig Hill from Iowa Farm Bureau and Libby Crimmings from the World Food Prize. The next activity was a breakout session to learn about approaching their legislators and what to advocate to them. The day continued as the FFA members traveled to the capitol building to seek out their senator and representative. Atlantic FFA members got the chance to speak to Representative Jack Drake about the impact of FFA on their lives. They also got the chance to listen to Drake talk about what he does and see some interesting parts of the capitol building. Unfortunately, Atlantic FFA members did not get the chance to talk to Senator Tom Shipley. Atlantic FFA ended the day with a lunch stop at Legends before heading home. Junior Clayton Saeugling said, “It was an extraordinary opportunity for our FFA chapter to meet with our local representative and see our state’s capitol in action. We also got to connect with other FFA members and friends by advocating for agriculture together.”