Allyson Rietcheck went viral last week when she appeared in a TikTok video featuring fun facts about agriculture.
The Eudora junior, along with Basehor sophomore Mary Habjan, starred in a TikTok with viral content creator, Farmer Froberg, featuring FFA students listing five fun facts about farming.
“Honeybees can fly up to 15 miles per hour,” Rietcheck shared as the first fun fact in the video that had 12,000 views on TikTok.
The TikTok video was just one of many memories that Eudora FFA chapter officers made when recently traveling to Indianapolis for the national conference.
Over 70,000 participants and advisers from around the country attended, said Mandi Holsten, who is in her first year as Eudora’s FFA adviser.
The team didn’t compete this year, but members feel like they learned to grow the team’s connection and to prepare for careers in agriculture. Furthermore, as part of the National Day of Service, they helped Indianapolis neighborhoods with pulling weeds, raking leaves and cleaning out chicken coops.
The officers heard from colleges around the country about agriculture-related scholarships and programs. The event was also a career fair that gave students opportunities to hear from potential employers and attend workshops in leadership.
“Going to all the colleges – like I knew that there were a lot of ag colleges, but just like really opening my eyes up to like all the colleges that aren’t that far from Kansas,” sophomore Mia Dixon said.
Habjan comes to Eudora for the agriculture program because her school in Basehor doesn’t have one. This is her second year in FFA.
“We got to kind of bond with a new group of kids that we haven’t met before, and we got to have a lot of fun, learn about the places we went and just help giving back to the community,” Habjan said.
The experience also allowed the team to see how people in bigger cities participate in agricultural practices, like chicken coops and gardens.
“It was really interesting how these types of people still are educated and are still involved in agriculture,” Rietcheck said.
Officers also attended a rodeo during their time in Indiana.
Last year, the team participated in competitions at nationals, which hindered them from getting to participate in other activities like team building, career fairs and university visits, they said.
Next year, they hope to make it to nationals to compete again, but are grateful for the chance to learn at this year’s convention.
“Now we have the background knowledge of what it is and what we’re doing so hopefully next year we can win and go to nationals and compete and focus on that,” Habjan said.
Eudora FFA has over 50 participants and the program includes farming, veterinary science, agricultural mechanics, welding, mock-interviews and floriculture.
“There’s a place for everyone,” Habjan said.
Habjan, Dixon and Rietcheck all plan to pursue agriculture for their careers, and FFA has helped expand their knowledge and potential in the industry, they said.
Rietcheck hopes to continue to educate the public on agricultural practices with social media accounts. She wants to go into milling science, which is the practice of turning wheat into flour or corn into oils for ethanol or soybean into soybean meal.
FFA helped Dixon decide what she hopes to do after high school, as well. She said she knows she will go to college for agribusiness and equine science to hopefully open her own equine training and boarding facility.
Habjan has been considering animal science with a minor in business. She also is considering going to a junior college for livestock judging with a scholarship.
But the team is more than just learning about agriculture, it’s about community and leadership, Holsten said.
“I love watching their excitement and seeing them come together as a team and really stepping up into their leadership. This really made me excited to see them come together and bringing that excitement back,” she said.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
