FFA
NATIONAL FFA WEEK FEB. 15 - 22, 2025
Pellett's FFA and farm background led to her pursuit of a career in ag By KRISTIN DANLEY GREINER Farm News writer
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CALLEE PELLETT, an 18-year-old freshman at Iowa State University, enjoys splitting her time between school and helping on the family farm. She plans to eventually bring back her college and work experience to contribute to the family farm operation.
TAKING THE LEAD By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY Farm News writer
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OHRVILLE — Leadership has been called the art of being prepared. Matthew Hardy never shies away from taking the lead when questions arise about modern agriculture, whether he’s in Iowa or on the East Coast. Hardy, who is the president of the FFA chapter at South Central Calhoun High School, thinks back to last July, when he was part of Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. “When the Boys Nation vice president — a guy from Alabama — found out I was from Iowa, he said, ‘You guys grow a lot of corn, right? What do you do with all that corn?’” Hardy pulled out his smartphone and showed his new friends harvest scenes from his family’s farm near Lohrville. Many of the guys were amazed by the size of the farm equipment — and they had plenty of questions. “About 75% of the guys at Boys Nation have no ag background,” said Hardy, 18. “I like to advocate for ag when I have opportunities like this.” He also appreciates his FFA
experiences to prepare him for new opportunities, from Boys Nation (where he was elected secretary of agriculture) to the American Legion’s Boys State program in Iowa, where he was elected governor this past summer. Hardy is currently serving as a page at the state capitol in Des Moines. He works with Rep. Pat Grassley, speaker of the Iowa House. Each year the Iowa Senate and the Iowa House of Representatives employ ambitious high school juniors and seniors of high academic standing to serve as pages for the legislative session. Pages learn the inside workings of government and lawmaking, while participating in the timehonored tradition of public service. All this builds on the lessons Hardy has learned through FFA, which helps students develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. More than 20,000 students participate in 270 local FFA chapters across Iowa, according to the Iowa FFA Association. Hardy has maximized his FFA experiences, from participating in speech contests (including prepared public speaking events and extemporaneous speaking)
TLANTIC — As a college freshman at Iowa State, 18-yearold Callee Pellett splits her time between campus and corn fields. The former FFA member loves being in Ames, but does go back home to help with peak farming operations during the busier times. Pellett happens to be the first female in her family’s operation to actively farm and represents the seventh generation to cultivate the earth. She’s double majoring in agronomy and agricultural entrepreneurship. “The way our farm is set up, when you graduate high school, you go to college and earn a degree that will let you bring something back to benefit the farm. My dad and cousin minored in agronomy, but I always wanted to be an agronomist. So I plan to use the agronomy degree to work for a dealership and a little bit for the farm. The ag entrepreneurship degree has a big focus on accounting and marketing, which is something our farm as a whole needs to get better at and that I’ll be able to use to benefit our farm,” Pellett said. Now in her second semester of college, Pellett said she loves college. She’s involved in a sorority and has made numerous friends. But she still returns home to the Atlantic area to help lend a hand. “I didn’t ever want to be one of those kids who goes
“The way our farm is set up, when you graduate high school, you go to college and earn a degree that will let you bring something back to benefit the farm.” CALLEE PELLETT Former FFA member, ISU ag student home every weekend but I did during harvest. I miss farming. Harvest is the highlight of my year,” Pellett said. “I also didn’t want to rack up a big bill on the farm for my share of the equipment costs and other expenses, so I do go home to work, which helps me pay down my bill there.” Fourteen family members are involved in their operation, but only two are female — Pellett and her mom. But Pellett is the only female who is hands-on farming. Her senior year of high school, she logged more than 100 hours in the field. While all family members farm together, they each own their own chunk of ground but share the equipment. Each family member is then billed for equipment use at planting and harvest. The hours spent in the field earn a family member See PELLETT, Page 3C
Matthew Hardy leverages his FFA experiences
to competing at the state level in conduct-of-meetings events. “FFA does a great job of preparing you for the real world,” he said. Maximizing a week that shapes a lifetime For Hardy, the real world includes his family’s Century Farm in Union Township in Calhoun County. FFA is also a long-time tradition in the Hardy family. Hardy is following in the footsteps of his father, Mike, and his uncles and aunts, who were members of the Southern Cal High School FFA in the 1990s. Along with his involvement in FFA, Hardy is also a longtime 4-H member. Both organizations have taught him the value of teamwork and community service, which includes delivering care packages to farmers during harvest. All these life skills have motivated Hardy to set big goals and accomplish them. This came into focus this past summer at Boys State, which was held at Camp Dodge in Johnston. This week-long, hands-on civics leadership experience is designed to help See HARDY, Page 5C
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MATTHEW HARDY, of rural Lohrville, is president of the FFA chapter at South Central Calhoun High School. His FFA experience has
led to several leadership opportunities. He is currently serving as a page at the state capitol in Des Moines.