Officers from Little Switzerland FFA Chapter attend COLT Conference in Waterloo June 9

Each year Northeast District and Iowa FFA officers plan and facilitate Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT) Conferences for FFA members in the Northeast District. Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo welcomed FFA chapters from all over the Northeast District Friday, June 9, including several from the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter at Waukon High School.

While at Hawkeye Community College June 9, district and state officers led four interactive workshops for FFA Chapter leaders, many of whom are officers, for the annual COLT Conference. The workshops facilitated were local FFA Chapter programs focused in the areas of advocating for the agriculture industry, connecting with stakeholders, recruiting for the local chapter, and working as a cohesive team. FFA leaders also received training relative to their specific officer duties within the local chapter.

Iowa FFA President Holly Schmitt stated, “COLT Conference provides a chance for FFA members to learn more about their responsibility as a local leader and is a conference for members to meet and connect with state, district and other chapter officers.”
COLT Conference programming is designed as a two-year rotation of local leaders training. The focus areas of next year’s program include agriculture literacy, time management, professionalism and self-confidence. The goal is to engage FFA members in learning about the tools that would allow them to be successful in anything they are part of through high school and beyond.

A total of 154 members from 25 chapters attended the event with eight Little Switzerland FFA Officers that attended including Natalie Byrnes, Alyssa Connelly, Ethan Gibbs, Caleb Helgerson, Ryan Kolsrud, Molly Peake, Sarah Stock and Mercedes Wilkins. COLT Conference is made possible with support from Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

The Iowa FFA Association is a youth organization of more than 19,200 student members as part of 260 local FFA chapters across Iowa. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The Iowa FFA Association was organized by delegates from 23 schools at Iowa State College May 17, 1929 and is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The Iowa Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the Iowa FFA Association online at IowaFFA.com, on Facebook, and Twitter.