Adam Torres and David Schmid discuss Texas FFA.
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Show Notes:
Listen to coverage from the 96th Texas FFA State Convention in Houston, Texas. In this episode, Adam Torres and David Schmid, explore Texas FFA and convention.
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Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres and we are at the Texas FFA convention in Houston, Texas. And I’m telling you, we’re having all kinds of fun today. I have David Schmidt on the line and Hey, first off, David, welcome to the show. Thank you. Thank you.
All right. So David, what brings you to the conference this year? Well, I’ve known the Mr. Alejandro, Aaron Alejandro for many, many years. And he’s been telling me about FFA all this time. And how many years? I’ve known Aaron 30 years. Hold on, and how many conventions have you been to? This is my first one. Oh, Aaron, you are, oh my god.
That’s not his fault. Aaron’s a very persuasive man. He got me in the first year of friendship. How do you? Well, you know, we’ve separated by time and distance, but yeah, we, we stay in touch. He contacted me a few weeks ago and said, Hey, I’m going to be in the convention area. You want to go? I want to go. So he set it up for the wife and I to come and we’ve been running around.
We had the breakfast this morning and listened to the speakers. We went to the first part of a general session. Man, they had Rolling Stones and Def Leppard. Ain’t got nothing on these kids, man. They were in there rocking. Everybody was really excited. Yeah. The young man that is the current state president is actually from my hometown, which is, so it was really, that was pretty cool to meet him.
I’ve seen these kids walking around and looking at the back of their jackets. And I’m from Texas and most of these small towns I’m familiar with. And just seeing these young people, I don’t want to call them kids. I’m getting better. This is my third year. Just so you know. So I’m getting, I got a little bit of credibility around here now.
Now I’ll try to pick up a couple more years. I’m going to have a hat. Oh, well, they’re going to be up there. Big old bell buckler. They’re going to be like, Adam, you are not from Texas. Stop appropriating our culture. Well, I got the hat and, and our, our cowboy friends. I didn’t need to be blocked and pressed.
That’s why I’m not wearing it. See these young members. It gives me a better sense of optimism for the future. You look around and you see what’s going on in the world today. And some of these young people out here with some of the things they’re doing. It’s not how I was raised. It’s not how I’ve raised my children or my grandchild.
And to see these young people, it gives me some faith with these young, young people being in charge and taking care of us in the future. We’re going to be all right. Yeah. We’ll be all right. So just in general, I know this is your first conference, but you’ve been, you’re from Texas. What is Texas FFA meant to your community in general?
Like what’s been your connection and knowledge about it? Like other than Aaron, like, cause I can’t go anywhere without people knowing about it. Uber driver, whatever. They’re like, why are you in town? What are you like? Well, you know, Texas, we started, you know, a couple hundred years ago as a cattle country, agriculture.
We were founded on agriculture. Oil came along and now science, technology, man, all that. So, but it’s just always been the land in Texas and FFA as what I’ve seen has been, they’re really all about the land and keep it for future generations. I’m real big on history. And, and I see the traditions and the history of FFA being passed down from one group to the next, and it makes me proud at these young kids.
I mean, I admire them for what they’re doing and, and I’m so impressed with what they’re going to do. You mentioned you were at the breakfast today, right? Yes. And then also general session. Let’s give so, so for the people at home that didn’t have a chance to attend, like, I want to go into a little bit of detail there.
What’d you see at the breakfast? Well, this morning, you know Aaron stepped up, be introduced to two people, talked about a few things. The state of the FFA Union, if you will. Yeah. The state is good. It is. They’re doing real well. It is. Do they have two guest speakers? Red Stegall, being a Texan, and I consider myself a Westerner.
Yeah. Pleasure to see him and hear you talk. He’s a great singer songwriter, poet, poet laureate, if you will. Yes. But they were all, they all had the same theme. They were all on point with the same, about our future, and these children are Our future and how, how good we’re gonna be. Yeah. We’ve had ambassadors to escort Joe and I around today.
Mm-Hmm. brought us to find you. Yes. We didn’t have to go looking around it. Yeah. So just the way they act, they carry their selves in a, in a respectful manner. I, I’ve got 20 years working in in penitentiary in a prison system. Mm. I’m used to some disrespectful behavior and attitudes. You don’t see any of that here.
Here you see yes or no. What can I get for you? What can I do for you? Service. Yes. They’re all about service. What can I do to make things better? It’s amazing. Yeah, I love it. So far, I know you’ve only been here a little bit. A little bit so far. Talk about the general, the general session, like what you are, I think that’s the one that you said was like the rock show.
Yes, sir. What would you see? Cause that energy, try and describe that energy. Cause it’s insane. The first time I went to one for the audience, I mean, I was like, wait a minute. How is this happening right now? They had light. There’s all kinds of things. What did you see? What was that feeling? For a minute, I thought it was a pink Floyd, laser white show.
The energy, the whole crowd, the I watched the state officers and the state represent, the FFA representatives pump the crowd up and get involved and just, just the energy there. Everybody’s excited to be here. This session this morning, they were introducing the 12 candidates for state vice president and state president.
Their term is up this year and it’s new ones. So we got to listen to a few of them, make their speeches and talk about their platforms and what they were going to do. Isn’t that amazing, by the way? Like, I forgot, when I was watching it, I forgot they were in high school. Or that, I’m over here like, this is, I mean, we’re not gonna get political today, but, I was, had better procedure, I’ll say this, With presidential, I mean, I’m like, they’re more respectful, Was it Rodgett’s Rules of Orders?
I mean, you know that they follow procedure, Madam President, Mr. Vice President. It’s just amazing to see them do these things. I’m gonna go home and talk to my grandson. Say, boy, you gotta raise a pig. You gotta do something here. Oh, I love to hear this. Oh, I love to hear this. How old’s your grandson? He’s 13.
He’ll be 14 in about two weeks. Oh, that’s amazing. The leadership, the leadership, I said, exhibit, I didn’t get that kind of sense of myself and that sense of leadership until I was in my thirties and then started taking college classes. This young people, 16, 18 years old, up on a stage and speaking like they’ve been doing it all their lives.
The leadership potential of this group is just incredible. I tell people all the time, I’m like, and I, I’ve interviewed a bunch of the members and that, and so I bring them on the show too, not just the adults or the, you know, sponsors and things. I like sharing for the members and I’m like, you know, probably in 20 years I’m going to look back and I’m like, I know, I know this, I’ve already interviewed a future senator or, Or house representative, or mayor, or like, I’ve already interviewed them.
I’ve interviewed them, they’re gonna be that in 20 years. This, this crowd of young people is teeming with future lawyers, and doctors, and politicians. But the future of ag, agriculture, for sure, for sure, is in this room, is in this hall. And you know, the future is bright. Yeah. Love it. The future of agriculture is bright.
Amazing. Makes me wish I’d have gone into FFA instead of football in high school. Get that grandson in there. That’s all right. We got that. He’s 13. What’s his name? His name is Connor. Connor, get in FFA, man. You’re, you don’t know what you’re missing. Oh, let’s do it. The public service. That’s right. For Connor.
That’s right. If Texas FFA would have been in my high school, if I could go back, like that would have been one of my things. 100%. I didn’t even just didn’t know. Yeah. I don’t know what you don’t know. I didn’t know about it in high school. Yeah. It’s a little bit different when I was in high school. Of course, we had auto shop and welding shop and wood shop and all the different things like that I knew about those but not so much about the ag portion of it It was just in kids, those blue jackets running around school now, and I, I’m so I’m disappointed that it took me so long to take Aaron up on the invite to come and check this You’re back now.
You’re going to be back next year. I’m not even worried. I’m not even sure where they’re at next year. I’ve got to make my reservation. I flew in from LA. I fly in every year since I’ve, since I came the first time, my third year running and I’m looking forward to racking up some more years. Aren’t these kids incredible?
Yeah. Yeah. Just amazing. We’re doing something right. I have to tell you, you’re doing something right. Well, Dan, hey, I just want to say thanks for taking some time out and I’m happy that we could commemorate your inaugural visit with an interview because now we can look back at this when you’re on year 10 and be like, ah, I got to the first year.
Here you go. And you have a good memory. Yeah. And and now we got, we’re on Connor 2. Connor, I didn’t forget you, man. Join the FFA. See what’s going on at your school and you show them this video and and to the audience as always. Thanks. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of mission matters.
Hope you had a lot of fun. We had fun making this for you. If you haven’t done it yet, hit that subscribe button because we have many more individuals coming up on the line. This is a daily show and we want you to get the notification. So make sure you hit that subscribe or follow button and David, thank you again so much for coming out.
It’s been a blast. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.