Lowell — There are always challenges along the path to success, but unless you’re in Future Farmers of America, blowdrying a show pig probably isn’t one of them.
“She runs around ferally,” explained Lowell High School senior Frankie Eddy of her pig’s reaction to being bathed and dried. “She goes berserk and does zoomies around the pen, and I am just standing there trying not to get taken out. She’s crazy, and sometimes she tries to bite the hose, and I’m like, ‘Stop! Get your mouth off that.’”
Frankie laughs at wild moments in the day-to-day experiences of raising and showing animals. It’s hard work, but just a part of the immense commitment she’s put in to reach a major milestone in the youth organization she joined as a freshman.
In March, Frankie was elected state president of Michigan FFA for the upcoming school year, during which she will share the mission of involving young people in agriscience education. The National FFA has more than 1 million members in 9,407 chapters. More than 8,800 members make up 124 chapters in Michigan.
“Before I had FFA, I did things, but I never felt like I belonged in a thing. … This is my thing. This is how I found some of my best friends.”
With graduation in May, Frankie will wrap up her time as Lowell FFA president and is slated to begin as state president July 1. FFA members are ages 12 to 23.
‘I’m going into my future knowing this is what I want to do, and I know what I want to do because FFA has presented me with so many agricultural experiences.’
— senior Frankie Eddy
To become state president, Frankie worked on speaking, presenting and developing leadership skills — learning to articulate her love and passion for all things FFA, from the camaraderie she’s developed with peers to the love she has for animals and agriculture.
She went through an intense interviewing process in February and was selected from among 33 candidates who interviewed virtually for the state board. Eighteen moved on to a full weekend of in-person interviews in East Lansing.
Frankie said she left the interviews thinking her performance had been less than stellar, and that there was no way she would be elected president. About three weeks later, however, as she prepared to cheer for someone other than herself, she received the news that she was president during the Michigan FFA State Convention.
“I had no idea that this was what was going to happen. Words can not even express it because I was so shocked. … I had to be pushed onto the stage. It was just so insane to think I have the chance of being Michigan FFA president. This is such a huge honor to have,” she said.
It’s a post that Kevin Nugent, FFA contest and recognition coordinator and former Lowell teacher, said Frankie is ready for. He first taught Frankie her freshman year in agriculture biology when she was first discovering FFA.
“One of the strengths she has that will make her a great officer at the state level is that she relates to (other) students very well,” he said. “She is very outgoing and loves to talk to students and meet students.”
Added current Lowell FFA adviser Kyle McFarren:
“(Frankie) has a very bubbly and infectious personality that is filled with enthusiasm, kindness and a genuine enjoyment of what she is doing. As she moves on to the state level, I see her bringing that same personality and a sincere hope to make a connection with every student she meets. Frankie has that spark of enjoyment for meeting others and forming those connections where the other person feels like they truly matter,” he said.
It All Started with a Pig
Frankie lives on a small farm with her parents, Doug and Stacy Eddy, brother Dallas, horses, pigs, goats and chickens. She and Dallas, an eighth-grader at Lowell Middle School, show pigs at the Kent County Youth Fair and jackpot shows — one-day youth livestock events — across the state.
“I had the opportunities to show pigs through FFA,” she said, noting that she got her start in seventh grade by showing pigs that are kept at the LAS Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Center. “It was such a great opportunity for me to learn how to do it. … I’ve just been showing since then.”
Frankie moved up the ranks on the FFA board from reporter her sophomore year to vice president her junior year and to president this year, all the while sharing FFA and its mission with younger students.
“It’s exposed me to so many opportunities and so many people,” said Frankie, a self-described extrovert.
In Lowell Area Schools, FFA hosts the annual spring Fun on the Farm at the Wittenbach/Wege Center, during which families mingle with farm animals, check out tractors and participate in activities while learning about agriculture.
High school members also share about FFA with their younger peers, visiting Lowell Middle School and taking part in chicken hatching at Murray Lake Elementary School, and returning to play with chicks with the students. Fun fact: this year’s eggs incubating in classrooms came from Frankie’s family’s farm.
“The kids absolutely love it, so it’s really cool to see their excitement about agriculture. Obviously, they aren’t looking at it like that. But it’s still really cool to see their excitement about it starting at that level,” she said.
Defining Her Path
Frankie said she plans to make the most of her year as president, visiting different FFA chapters around the state with other board members to talk about how FFA can impact lives. It’s not just for farmers, but for people of all backgrounds and career interests.
“I’m super excited just to go talk to those members and say, ‘You have so many opportunities within FFA.’”
She will also help run summer and fall leadership conferences and will attend the State Officer Leadership Continuum, in Washington, D.C., in July.
For Frankie, FFA has led to personal development and planning for her future.
“FFA creates so much growth. My freshman year I was definitely more reluctant to try things because I was scared to fail and scared to be wrong — scared to ask questions,” she said. “FFA has taught me that it’s OK to make mistakes. … Perfection isn’t something that happens overnight.”
She will start her freshman year at Michigan State University this fall, majoring in agribusiness management with a concentration in sales. She plans to pursue a career in pharmaceutical veterinary sales.
“I know that I want to go into a field of agriculture,” she said. “I wouldn’t have known about these opportunities without FFA. I’m going into my future knowing this is what I want to do, and I know what I want to do because FFA has presented me with so many agricultural experiences.”
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