The Why

my farm story

Being born and raised on a full-time farm had a major influence on my upbringing as a kid. Some of my fondest memories as a little girl are of riding shotgun in my dad's pickup listening to Alan Jackson's 'Little Bitty' song while checking water. As I grew older I struggled to find the good in a farm lifestyle. Unlike my friends that spent their summers at the local swimming pool, I was out in the field being put to work. In the moment, I despised the farm life and hated being known as the 'ag kid' but I have come to grow very fond of that title and I wear it with pride.

Through high school, I grew to appreciate the agricultural way of life while being apart of my local FFA chapter. FFA allowed me to rub shoulders with kids like myself. All four years of my high school career were filled with chapter meetings, banquets and state leadership conferences. One goal while being an FFA member, was to run for a State Office. My chapter was minimally involved at a state level so I had little exposure to any major events going on within the state officer realm...but my goal was to try and trying was exactly what I was going to do. I submitted my application and practiced my interviewing skills with family friends as well as writing down my Idaho farm story. I wanted to be able to share 'why' I was so passionate about the FFA and Idaho agriculture. State Leadership Conference rolled around and I was a bundle of nerves. On the first day of interviews I begged my mom to not make me go and let me just quit. Thankfully, my mom pushed me out of the car and wished me well on my way.

Fast-forward to the day of announcing the 2018-2019 Idaho FFA State Officer Team. By the grace of God, I had made it through the first-cut of candidates and was standing in a line to see if my name would happen to be called as an officer for the year. Down the line of officers the announcer went - sentinel, reporter, treasurer, secretary, vice president...I couldn't breathe, I knew there was no way I had been elected as president. I was a nobody from podunk Shelley, Idaho. Then the words that would change all of my future plans after high school..."your 2018-2019 State President, representing the great state of Idaho...from Shelley, Saydee Longhurst". To say I was in complete shock was an understatement. Serving as the Idaho FFA State President for a year opened many doors that I wouldn't have even had the opportunity to knock on before.

It allowed me to discover my passion for teaching, specifically wanting to teach about what I love, AGRICULTURE. The youth truly are the future of our industry. I would much rather be around headstrong teenagers than know-it-all college students any day! I have had the chance to be in over 60 different high schools and I am so impressed with the quality of students ag classes attract. I hope to cultivate a classroom of growth and instill passion within each of my future students. I want to encourage them to find a place where they belong, to believe in and build them up.

I am currently attending Utah State University and majoring in Agricultural Education and minoring in Entrepreneurship. I have been blessed to find places to be involved on campus. I work as a Teaching Assitant for the AgEd department as well as the university's Teach Ag Student Worker. I am looking forward to serving on the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Council this fall as well. Amongst those responsibilities, I am also able to work as a liaison between USU and Agriculture Future of America (AFA) as an ambassador for AFA programs. I thrive on being busy and working on projects bigger than myself. 

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But above all else, agriculture is my life and soul. Everyday I am grateful to God for allowing to have been born into this lifestyle. Follow along while I document and share my view from the tractor seat.