Inspiration from Future Farmers of America (FFA) Alumni

Nathan Carroll
Equipment Shop Manager

I was raised in Lawson, Missouri on a farm that’s been in our family since 1884. While I’ve worked for Foley Equipment for over 10 years, I still run a small cow/calf operation on the family farm.

When I came to Foley, I didn’t have a lot of outside experience other than my time at FFA and on the farm. I remember the hiring manager asking me the age-old question, “Why should I hire you?” My answer was simple, “I grew up with a wrench in my hand. I maintain all my farm equipment myself and everything is still running!” I got the job.

I initially started in the track bay, but I’ve held numerous positions along the way and am currently the Equipment Shop Manager at Foley’s St Joseph facility.

Without the experience afforded to me by FFA, I may not have had the success on both my farm and my job. FFA played a key role in helping me become a successful producer, mechanic and manager.

Lane Hecht
Equipment Tech II

FFA gives you a solid base from which to grow. I participated in the Tonganoxie, Kansas Chapter of FFA. I enjoyed FFA and I think it taught me hard work in exchange for an honest living, the chance to gain all kinds of education, and the opportunity to develop character and integrity.

FFA showed me what you can accomplish with persistence and passion. It strengthened these characteristics and guided me in things in and outside the classroom. Today, I’m in the Navy Reserves as a Construction Mechanic & Seabee and have a current role as an Equipment Technician here in Topeka, Kansas at Foley Equipment.

Kyle Livengood
Truck Technician

I was a part of FFA for all 4 years of high school in Craig, Missouri. I grew up on a corn and soybean farm. It was the forestry and livestock events that I participated in while in FFA. Mostly, livestock evaluation with cattle and some poultry. FFA taught me the importance of hard work. I learned that the effort you put into something is what you get back out of it. The harder you work, the greater the reward. It also helped me identify “self skills.” I got to know myself and it gave me the confidence to do more and really push myself to develop my technical and communication skills. I think overall it helped make me the self-driven person I am today.

I went on to work as a welder before coming to Foley Equipment. I was in more of a production line and I wanted to come to Foley to expand my knowledge and continue to advance in my career. Foley is a large company with a lot of growth opportunities. I’m currently using a lot of the skills and grit I acquired from FFA as a Truck Technician doing a wide variety of repairs and maintenance. No day is ever the same – and that’s what I enjoy the most.

Austin Schaefer
Equipment Tech II

I watched my older brother wear the blue and family traditions run deep! As a farm kid my family ran cattle and eventually changed over to specialty sheep. You’d think with my background that I would have participated in the livestock program, but I instead focused on FFA’s forestry and ag mechanics programs. Through the program, I was able to complete my own metal work projects and got the opportunity to explore the “art of welding.” My ag mechanics team even placed third at state!

In addition to the experience, FFA helped me create lifelong relationships with my team members. The friends and connections you make in FFA stick with you forever.

I didn’t really want to do another four years of school after high school, and I found out about the ThinkBIG program at Foley. It just made sense and was a great opportunity. FFA helped me develop a lot of personal and professional development skills which prepared me for the next stage of my life.

Jakob Brown
Intern Tech ThinkBIG

I participated in FFA all through high school. I knew early on that I didn’t want to pursue a four-year degree but wanted to work with my hands. I felt that FFA would teach me the basics. I participated in the Ag Mechanic program and got to work with all kinds of small engines from lawn mowers to tractors and automobiles. When I visited a State Tech school, I met Anthony Dahl a recruiter for Foley Equipment, and he told me all about Foley’s ThinkBIG Intern program. It’s a two-year, hands-on program and you get paid while you get real work experience. It was the perfect fit. I’m currently being mentored by Austin Schaefer who also came through the ThinkBIG Intern program, and I get to work on all kinds of large Cat equipment which is really lit!

I’m glad I had the opportunity to participate in FFA. I think it helped me improve my communication skills and gave me the confidence I needed to take advantage of this ThinkBIG Internship opportunity at Foley Equipment. Cat machines are a lot bigger than anything I got to work on in the past and it’s great to be working on equipment from a respected US company like Caterpillar.

Charles Higdon
Master Equipment Tech

I’ve worked at Foley Equipment for 37 years and am an FFA alumni. I participated in my local FFA Chapter’s welding program. While it certainly isn’t a replacement for your core classes, I think the experience helped me not only learn the basics of welding, but also helped prepare me for future interviews and business interactions like managing financing and expense control.

I really do think organizations like FFA help the next generation develop a lot of soft skills. You can tell that these folks have more interviewing and public speaking abilities. They’ve learned early on, a lot of those professional skills that you only get through experience. I’d highly recommend organizations like FFA to high schoolers looking to discover their interests and get hands-on experience with potential career opportunities – It’s invaluable.

Jim Broxterman
Equipment Service Shop Manager

Growing up, I participated in FFA livestock judging. It really is designed to help you select and market livestock based on economic returns. I learned a lot about managing profit and loss statements and gained the confidence I needed to speak publicly and to complete strangers.

FFA is a great organization that does a lot to develop youth into future leaders across many industries, not just ag. I’d encourage students to participate in their local FFA chapter just to expose them to the many different paths their future careers can take. It can really open your eyes to what is out there, like it did for me.

Kenny Jensen
Rental Yard Coordinator

I’d highly encourage every student to participate in FFA. It teaches responsibility and we all need more of that!

In FFA you are actively a part of a team. It’s competition with the highest level of integrity, kindness and encouragement of team members. You learn time management, work ethic, how to set goals, problem solving and business skills.

FFA teaches essential leadership skills and responsibility that last a lifetime! 

In Conclusion

Future Farmers of America (FFA) was founded by a group of young farmers back in 1928. Their mission was to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population. FFA continues to help the next generation rise to meet those challenges by helping its members to develop their own unique talents and explore their interests in a broad range of career pathways.

Whenever and wherever you see a project by your local FFA, please offer your encouragement and support.