FFA officers set to begin year of inspiring members

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Five new officers elected by the delegates during the 96th Illinois FFA State Convention will be traveling throughout the state during the upcoming year engaging with members to inspire them to achieve their goals.

FFA members elected to office are: President Trenton Payne, Vice President Brody Will, Reporter Sidney Stiers, Secretary Owen Torrance and Treasurer Emma Dinges.

President

“My main goal is to engage with as many members as possible,” said Trenton Payne, a member of the Olney FFA Chapter.

“I remember my first time meeting a state officer and it was a crazy experience to see this person who had such an important role in the FFA organization,” he said moments after becoming the FFA president. “Engaging with members is how we grow our organization.”

Both Payne’s grandfather and father are former FFA members.

“My sister was also in FFA and she fell in love with the organization and encouraged me to join and have the same opportunities as she did,” said the son of Shad and Diane Payne.

“This is unbelievable and it’s hard to express,” he said about his new leadership position.

“As a freshman, I considered not joining FFA, and if I hadn’t joined, I think that would have been the worst decision I could have made. It’s crazy to think about how far I’ve come since then,” said the FFA member, who is advised by Mark Steber, Jamie VanDyke and Hayden Kinkade.

Payne has several FFA projects, including a safety record book that involves his lifeguarding experiences.

“For my service learning project, I’m the council official for a service organization at Camp Ondessonk at Shawnee National Forest,” he said. “I organize service projects and fundraisers for the camp.”

After his year as a state officer, Payne is planning to attend Olney Central College or the University of Illinois to study engineering.

Vice President

“At first I didn’t know what to feel and now I’m really excited because I can’t wait to see what comes this year,” said Brody Will, from the Dieterich FFA Chapter.

Advised by Garrett Heiregel, Will is only the second student from Dieterich to hold a state FFA officer position.

“When you think of a state officer, you don’t think of someone from Dieterich,” he said. “The only time I thought of state officers is when they came for chapter visits once a year or at state and national convention.”

It wasn’t until Will’s junior year when he ran for a section officer that he thought there was another side of this organization yet to explore.

“I wanted to explore my interest in leading,” said the son of Duane and Kristy Will.

“I want to inspire members and I also want to learn from them,” he said. “I want to take what they teach me and hopefully teach others.”

Will works at his uncle’s dairy farm for his FFA dairy production placement project.

“Our family has a rich history in dairy production,” he said. “My family also has a row crop operation where they grow corn and soybeans.

While serving as the Section 20 president last year, Will also completed his first year at Lake Land Community College.

After his year as the FFA vice president, he plans to either complete his second year at the community college or transfer to the U of I or Southern Illinois University.

“I want to pursue a career in ag business or finance,” he said.

Reporter

The reason Sidney Stiers ran for a state officer position is the members.

“I was a member impacted by state officers who really encouraged me to achieve something more in my life, to find my passion and to be unafraid to explore more opportunities,” she said.

“That’s what I want to do for FFA members — be in the background and help someone to achieve their success story,” said the daughter of Jeff and Joanie Stiers. “The state officers I met when I was doing creed speaking didn’t realize it, but one of them became by mentor for state office.”

Stiers has several FFA projects, including her bakery business called The Bakery Bin.

“I sell cakes, cupcakes and cookies and that business is six-years strong,” she said. “I do everything, including baking, customer communications and finances.”

During the summer and fall, she operates Sidney’s Sunflowers when she grows, cuts, arranges and sells pollenless sunflowers.

“That’s a newer project, but my most passionate one,” said the FFA member, who is advised by Kent Rigg.

Stiers raises chickens with her brother for show and laying purposes.

“I’ve been doing that since I was 8 years old,” she said. “During harvest I am the grain scale operator on my family’s farm where I take corn moisture samples, weigh trucks and operate the dryer system.”

In the future, Stiers plans to attend Iowa State University to study agronomy and horticulture.

“I’ve always had a love for plants, and through my FFA experiences and time in the ag classroom, that has been strengthened,” she said. “After college, I hope to come back home to do something with a co-op or crop scouting.”

Secretary

Owen Torrance is the second person in his family to be elected an Illinois FFA state officer.

“My dad was a state officer in the late ‘80s and growing up he would tell me story after story of his time as a state officer,” he said. “From an early age, I knew I wanted to be like him and be a state officer, too.”

In 2016, Torrance attended the state FFA convention to celebrate the awards his brother received.

“I saw how the state officers energized the crowd and I knew I wanted to be a part of something like that,” he said.

The West Prairie FFA member lives on his family’s farm where they raise purebred Hampshire, Suffolk and Dorset sheep.

“I’ve shown sheep all across the country at state fairs, regional and national shows,” said the son of Corey and Michelle Torrance. “I won the state sheep production award in 2022.”

When he was younger, Torrance said, he was quiet, shy and didn’t want to step out of his comfort zone.

“I want members to know it’s OK to step outside of your comfort zone,” he said.

“You can stand up on a stage in front of a few thousand people and give four speeches,” said the FFA member, who is advised by Sam DeCounter, Alison McGrew and Corinne Biswell.

Once he completes his FFA officer term, Torrance will attend Oklahoma State University to study ag business with a pre-law concentration and a minor in politics and policy.

“I am thinking about anything from lobbying to holding an elected office,” he said about his future career.

Treasurer

FFA Treasurer Emma Dinges also heard stories about being a state officer from her mom.

“But during chapter visits as a section president, I realized I could impact FFA members and that would be an incredible experience,” the Amboy FFA member said. “I want to show FFA members they can achieve their goals and grow in this organization.”

Dinges is excited about the upcoming year.

“This is insane — I feel like I’m waiting for it to hit me,” said the daughter of Nick and Stacey Dinges. “I’m excited to meet members and help them achieve big things.”

Advised by Joe Heavner, Dinges raises, breeds and sells pygmy goats and myotonic or fainting goats.

“I show market lambs during the summer,” she said. “And I have a food project where I scoop ice cream at the Woodhaven Lakes campground.”

Following her officer year, the FFA treasurer will attend Iowa State University to major in animal science and pre-vet, with the goal to become a large animal veterinarian.

“I’ve always had a love for animals and I’ve raised a lot of different animals,” she said. “I love helping others and I love animals so being a veterinarian is perfect because you help others by helping animals.”