Cassidy Ward is poised for a busy senior year of high school. Ward, a member of the Warrenton High School FFA Chapter, will serve this year as Area 5 reporter, one of the highest offices ever attained by a member of the local chapter. In that position, Ward will be part of a team of nine students from FFA chapters throughout the region who will organize and run major events and serve as liaisons between the state FFA organization and 14-18 local chapters. “I’m very excited,” Ward stated. “It’s going to be interesting to see what other chapters do.” Ward applied for a position on the Area FFA officer team and was appointed following a competitive interview process which was conducted by FFA members who served on the 2012-13 area leadership team. The area officers are responsible for organizing and running the annual Area Officer Institute and the Greenhand Motivational Conference. “We’re (the students) the ones running the workshops,” she said. “We have to make sure we offer the most leadership learning opportunities possible to our members. “We had a meeting at the beginning of May to figure out what needed to be done, and we’ll meet before the State Fair to plan our events for the year,” Ward explained. Additionally, members of the area leadership team will be expected to visit other chapters — primarily during the annual Barnwarming Dances — in an effort to interact with as many members as possible. Since there are only nine positions on the area leadership team, Ward said the emphasis will be on visiting chapters who do not have an area officer.Ward said she also will be involved with her own chapter, serving as 2013-14 vice president. “It’s a big deal,” Ward said of her appointment to the area leadership team. “You have to make sure your chapter is involved and that everything runs smoothly. “My main job will be keeping my chapter involved and making sure I can go to events hosted by other chapters,” she added. Ward’s family raises Dorsett and Oxford sheep, as well as crossbreeds which are sold as market lambs for other 4-H and FFA members to exhibit and sell at various livestock competitions at fairs during the summer.Ward exhibits Dorsetts, which she said are a dual-purpose breed, raised both for wool and for meat. Ward said her family focuses more on raising the animals for their meat. The Oxford breed is mainly raised as a market animal for food production, Ward added. Among the various challenges facing the agriculture industry, Ward said the greatest in her opinion is public perception. “There are a lot of different organizations spreading the wrong image of agriculture,” she asserted. “I want to tell people what agriculture offers and explain how farmers treat their livestock humanely to ensure that they’re providing a safe food supply. “What consumers are purchasing to eat is what we feed our own families,” Ward added, “so it’s important that we’re being as safe and humane as we can be with our animals.” With regard to genetically modified organisms, Ward said it is important for the agriculture industry to explain how those are used to produce foods which are safe for human consumption. Ward said she is a proponent for genetically modified organisms, as long as the modifications are done properly and safely.

Cassidy Ward, a member of the Warrenton High School FFA chapter, will serve as Area 5 reporter for the FFA organization this year. In her role, she will be part of a nine-member regional leadership team which will act as liaisons between the FFA and chapters at approximately 14 schools, including Warrenton and Wright City. Ward will hold one of the highest positions ever earned by a member of the WHS FFA chapter. See the Thursday, June 13, edition of the Warren County Record for the full story.