Most don’t think of public speaking when they think of Future Farmers of America, but this contest can develop a strong skill for current students.
Last month, Reeltown tenth-grader Aubrey Lovelady placed first at the county-wide FFA Prepared Public Speaking Contest. Her topic was on livestock judging and its benefits.
Lovelady believes there are four main benefits to judging livestock — it helps with annalistic skills, can improve communication skills, can help with problem solving and allows for a break from technology. The contest involved a five-paragraph speech Lovelady memorized and presented.
Earlier on, the new agriscience teacher Michael Hickman told the Reeltown FFA chapter he would like it if someone did a public speaking event. Lovelady said she never really thought about doing public speaking, but she decided to volunteer.
“I really like writing honestly,” she explained, “and I figured why not try something new and get out there to see if this is a set of skills I can put on display.”
There actually are two different public speaking events: prepared and extemporaneous. Lovelady said for her first time in a public speaking contest she wanted to go with the prepared event.
Lovelady has been a part of FFA since seventh grade and this is her first year as an officer. She has a background with livestock farming through her family’s farm, livestock judging and showing cattle. Lovelady said joining FFA was a natural progression and is a place where a lot of people share a common interest around farming and livestock. FFA also gives space to grow and show off your skills. Additionally, it comes with many opportunities for connections and resources.
Lovelady said she is trying out for FFA district officer, and just through that she has had so many people reaching out to help her with the preparation process. There is a network of support in organizations like this, she said.
“There’s a whole community of people that wants you to succeed,” Lovelady said. “They want to help you. They want to show you all the routes and directions you can take with it. I think it’s just so cool. If you get started and get your foot in the door and tell people, ‘Hey I don’t know much about this. Tell me what you know. Tell me how to better myself.’ You are going to have millions of people in your corner, rooting for you.”
As far as her plans after high school go, Lovelady said she is still in the exploration stage. She has a lot of different interests and passions. Lovelady has considered the military, being a veterinarian and teaching agriscience, but she is giving herself time to see where all the dots align.
“I would have never thought public speaking would have been my thing and I’m not saying it is my thing, but you would truly never know how successful you can be at something until you try,” Lovelady said. “My statement of 2025 is, ‘Why not?’ Why not take all these opportunities that are given to us? Does it fill my plate quickly? Yes, but it leads me to so many different pathways.”
Lovelady will be heading to the district level later this spring. If she places at district, then she will compete at state and, potentially, nationals. With nationals, participants can compete only one time at that level. She said while she hopes to make it that far, it’s definitely too early to tell; however, she is excited for the upcoming district-level competition in April.
