Agriculture is a field that impacts us all, whether we know it or not. For some, it’s simply about where our food comes from. For others, especially those who prioritize work in the agricultural field, it’s about finding solutions to the problems that arise every day.
Braden Havlik, a sophomore at the University of Missouri with double majors in agriculture and political science on a pre-law track, has known the demands that come from agriculture since he was a child. Growing up in Troy, Missouri, he showed livestock during his younger years. This practice was the start of his agricultural journey, and now he’s in the running to be an Officer for the National FFA Organization.
FFA hosts a competition every fall for young members across the nation to represent their state as a national officer candidate. There can be up to 52 candidates in total, with 50 from the United States and one each from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This year, there are 37 candidates. Havlik is representing Missouri in the competition, which is hosted in Indianapolis during the last week of October, as part of the National FFA Convention.
It was a long process before he was able to reach this stage in his life.
“I started out in FFA as a freshman in high school,” said Havlik. “My journey wasn’t easy. I had lots of setbacks. I didn’t get to go to the state convention my sophomore year. I tried five different contests, and I didn’t get to go. So, it definitely wasn’t an easy journey.”
He was in multiple FFA competitions in high school, and even though winning wasn’t the outcome for some, he’s still appreciative of the people he met along the way.
“It was a great journey of meeting lots of different people, meeting people from across the country, across the state, gaining different offices, getting different teammates,” Havlik said.
Competitions in high school were just one of the building blocks that helped him become a finalist as an FFA national officer.
Alongside his involvement with FFA, he is also part of many student organizations at Mizzou. Within the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), he is a CAFNR Ambassador, a CAFNR Student Council representative, a member of Ag Ed Society, an officer in Collegiate Farm Bureau, and a member of the Civic Leaders Internship Program.
Balancing his extracurriculars and school can be a hassle, and it’s a little tougher now as he prepares for National FFA Convention and the rigorous national officer interview process. After spending weeks practicing and succeeding at his interview at the state level, he will now step up practice even more for rounds of interviews at the national level.
“I go out on Oct. 24 and then interview for a week,” Havlik said. “Then National FFA Convention is just that second half of the week, but it’s a week-long interview process. It’s a long process that’s very thorough and strenuous, where they go very in-depth with finding out who you truly are as a person.”
While the journey has been demanding, it’s still a dream come true.
“The emotions are definitely running high,” said Havlik. “As soon as I found out, I really couldn’t believe it.”
If he is selected, he will become one of the six officers in the country who represent over a million members in FFA. No matter the outcome of his journey, the trip itself and what it will bring will be a highlight for Havlik in his future.
“I’m very, very excited to get to interview and represent our state,” said Havlik. “I’m excited to meet all of the candidates from all of the other states and territories of the United States. And I’m just very, very grateful to have been given this opportunity.”
Being a sophomore, he’s one of the youngest candidates in the country for this position. He remarked on the opportunities Mizzou gives to FFA and agriculture as a whole.
“Mizzou serves, CAFNR especially, serves as like the hub of Missouri FFA,” said Havlik. “Whenever we have our state convention, we hold it here. We have contests here.”
The importance of agriculture at Mizzou is one of the reasons as to why Braden chose to attend.
“There’s lots of things that CAFNR does to support FFA,” he said. “Throughout my journey, it actually was a big reason why I came to Mizzou. It was because I came with FFA events and got to see the different aspects of Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, so it played a really big role in what I wanted to do for a career and where I wanted to go for school.”
No matter the outcome from the convention, the bigger picture will always be what agriculture can bring to the citizens in the country.
“I mean, agriculture is everything,” Havlik said. “It’s the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the gas we put in our cars. It really is the thing that makes the world spin around. And I think that FFA plays a major role in developing the agricultural leaders of tomorrow.”
His time in Indianapolis will allow Havlik to look back and reflect on the great opportunities he’s had in his six years as an FFA member and may result in his biggest opportunity yet. Representing FFA and agriculture itself is an experience he wouldn’t trade away, and he’s excited for what the future has to hold in the field of agriculture and his scholarly career here at Mizzou.
“Get involved with agriculture in any way you can, whether it’s here at Mizzou and CAFNR, or by helping out those members in your local community through FFA and supporting their programs,” Havlik said. “Just in whatever way, help and support agriculture in whatever way you can. It’s very important.”
This story was written by a student in AGSC_COM 2150, which gives students the opportunity to explore public relations and journalistic writing with real-world experience in CAFNR.
