Seeing U.S. corn delivered to Japanese port eye-opener
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cased U.S. beef. “They had a picture of the United States on the menu, with the Midwest section highlighted, then they had a picture of a farmer next to it,” he said. “They know the U.S. has quality meat.” Brockshus has had plenty of time on trips to visit with people about how food is grown and about food safety issues. He said a man from New York once asked him what GMOs are. “It was neat to be able to share that knowledge with him and share what I’ve learned in my animal science class in college,” Brockshus said. “He thought all farms in Iowa were factory farms.” The most meaningful part of his FFA experience, Brockshus said, has been being able to reach out to other young people and get them excited about agriculture. “I never thought I would be able to travel halfway around the world through FFA.” He will finish up his term on the national officer team with the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky., this November. His future plans call for finishing college at ISU, where he is majoring in ag education and global resource systems. He would like to become an ag education teacher or start an agribusiness of some kind. He leaves all options open, as he said he keeps a notebook handy at all times to jot down ideas he has about alleviating world hunger, and ways he can contribute to that goal. His ultimate dream would be to return to this family’s dairy farm after he’s been out in the world. “What I hang my hat on at the end of the day is that anyone can find success. I found it through my involvement in FFA. No matter who you are or what you do, there’s always something you can do to be involved in FFA and become successful,” Brockshus said. ❖
THE LAND, APRIL 11, 2014
BROCKSHUS, from pg. 14A different chapters there. He did workshops and authenticity. He helped facilitate keynote speeches there. conferences and spent time at the new Iowa FFA Enrichment Center This past January he in Ankeny. was in Washington, D.C., where he and the team Brockshus spent his freshman met with U.S. Secretary of year of college as a state vice presiAgriculture Tom Vilsack, dent, working with planning the along with the secretary of state FFA convention in Ames that education and chairman attracts 5,000 FFA members from of the Senate ag commitacross the state annually. tee. He also spent time He went on to become the state Submitted there at the national FFA FFA president for the 2012-13 Steven Brockshus traveled to Japan board meeting, where they school year. With others on the state through FFA and found students with simi- discussed issues in FFA officer team, he connected with peo- lar interests. policies and where the ple from DuPont Pioneer, Syngenta, organization is headed. the Des Moines Register and other heavy hitters in “Since I worked on the state level with some of the agribusiness arena. He also worked more with these issues, it was fun to see what was happening Northey — along with ag secretaries from all across with them at the national level,” Brockshus said. the United States. Taking him to Tokyo, Japan, and surrounding As state FFA president, he also worked with a state officer team and an adult board of directors on areas, Brockshus spent 10 days with Japanese students in the “FFJ” (Future Farmers of Japan). There creating policies for the FFA organization. he and the team visited with Japanese students Being elected this past November to a national interested in agriculture, visited rice paddies, visited position for this school year, Brockshus has already with a Japanese grain buyer, and even got to stand found himself in places he never dreamed he would on a barge and watch a shipment of U.S. corn come be. He has mentors from around the nation who help into port. guide him in making decisions and encouraging his “It was a real come-to moment for me,” Brockshus growth. He has gained copious experience in doing interviews and in public speaking, presenting work- said. “That corn came from the United States and shops, participating in partnership training and could have been from our neighbor’s farm. It made working with the public. He and the team also met me think about what my dad always says. I asked with the chief executive officer of Tyson Foods and him once what keeps him getting out of bed every day, and he said it was about feeding the world. Peolearned about the scope of that agribusiness. ple depend on what we do for a living and I saw it He’s been to Arkansas for team training on goals, there.” values and strategies, and went to Wisconsin to He also ate in some Japanese restaurants, and spend a week working with FFA students from 43 thought it was interesting the way the menu show-
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