Williamsfield FFA members grow skills, agronomy expertise through Turn the Bag Blue & Gold program with Brevant® seeds.
With mentorship and support from those before them, emerging agricultural leaders need early experiences that will set them up for success. The Turn the Bag Blue & Gold program from Brevant® seeds meets this need for high school FFA members across the Corn Belt.
This unique opportunity gives FFA members in participating chapters the chance to sharpen their communications skills and expand their agronomy knowledge while raising funds at the national, state and local level. Students and their advisors work with local ag retailers and the Brevant seeds team to sell special edition blue-and-gold bags of Brevant® brand products — equipping students with real-world experience and power skills.
This year, Brandon Hall, location operations manager at West Central FS in Illinois, participated in the program with the Williamsfield FFA chapter. Hall graduated from Williamsfield High School and currently serves as a member of the Williamsfield FFA Alumni and Friends organization. The opportunity to work with his local FFA chapter initially intrigued Hall, as he has a passion for helping his community and promoting agricultural education.
Scouting plots and developing sales techniques with help from Brandon Hall, location operations manager at West Central FS in Illinois, prepared Williamsfield FFA members for their sales pitch to local farmers.
“The industry looks different today than it did 20 years ago, and our future agriculturalists are changing too,” Hall says. “It’s important to me to mentor these young people to help them find their ultimate potential. The opportunities for growth are endless with the Turn the Bag Blue & Gold program. I was also able to learn more about Brevant seeds and build relationships with the local team.”
Before getting involved last fall, Hall had already worked with the Williamsfield FFA chapter to plant a test plot in a neighboring field from the high school. The plot served as an additional opportunity for students to learn about soil types, the impact environmental factors have on performance and more. When Brianna Gehrig, retail sales agronomist for Brevant seeds in Illinois, approached Hall about participating in the Turn the Bag Blue & Gold program, it was a stroke of luck that the plot included Brevant® brand B13C49PCE and B14C59PCE corn — the hybrids the FFA members would be tasked with selling.
When it came time for students to begin selling, they were well prepared with the knowledge they gained from working with their test plot. Hall and the FFA members also scouted other plots in Knox County that included the hybrids to recognize how the products perform under a variety of conditions.
“There was a lot of value in seeing those products perform throughout the season,” Hall says. “It was pure coincidence, but it helped the students understand more of the agronomics built into the seed. Combined with the curriculum and techniques they learned in the classroom, they were able to build their sales story and get a unique perspective of this career path.”
To get students prepared for their sales pitch, Hall worked with Williamsfield FFA advisor Kent Rigg to educate students on sales techniques, complete mock interviews and create a list of prospective customers. These farmers were then invited to the classroom for lunch and a presentation. While the students strengthened their communication skills, it was also important to Hall as a mentor for them to experience the actualities of sales.
“In the real world, not every answer is going to be yes,” Hall says. “Shortcomings are just as essential for growth as success. The program allowed the students to build relationships and their skill sets. That’s success in itself.”
Hall says he hopes to take what he, Rigg and the members of the Williamsfield FFA chapter learned during their first year in the program and apply it for even better results next season.
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