As one of the top leaders in North Carolina’s FFA, Ty Meyer is thrilled to spread his love of agriculture throughout the state.
The Hobbton High School alumnus is looking forward to making youths excited about farming as a North Carolina FFA vice president for the 2018-2019 State Officer Team. He was elected to the position during the 90th State FFA Convention in June. Meyer is humbled and honored.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to represent the Hobbton area and Sampson County as a whole for the upcoming year,” Meyer said.
It’s a challenge for which he is ready.
The steps toward becoming a State FFA Officer involved an intense screening process. Meyer was interviewed for two days and went through several tests involving public speaking, working with others and gauging knowledge of agriculture. As vice president, Meyer will be serving more than 20,000 participants in the state’s FFA program, while encouraging more young people to get involved in their communities. For the one-year term, he plans to visit FFA chapters and meet with agribusiness leaders to help achieve that goal.
“I really want the students to better understand agriculture and be more knowledgeable about how agriculture helps to feed the world,” Meyer said.
That’s something the Faison native knows very well. As the son of Tracey and Sandra Meyer, he grew up on a turkey farm in northeastern Sampson County. While attending Hobbton High, he participated in several local and state FFA competitions for farm business management, livestock judging, and prepared public speaking. During his junior year, he earned the Poultry Production Proficiency Award in 2017. Meyer emphasized that the organization “builds communities, fosters leaders and strengthens agriculture.”
“Those three things are a big focus for members and that’s why students need to get involved,” Meyer said. “That’s what the FFA provides for them.”
He was also a member of Future Business Leaders of America, Student Government Association and was part of the golf and cross country teams at Hobbton.
Meyer just started his freshman year at North Carolina State University and is majoring in Agricultural Business and Political Science. In the future, he plans to become an agriculture lawyer. He was influenced by his upbringing on the farm and by his role model, Ray Starling, a Sampson native and chief of staff for the United States Department of Agriculture.
“He was a very big mentor and motivator for me in wanting to pursue that career path,” Meyer said.
Along with his family, agriculture education and FFA instructors Johnny Jessup and Ali Holton assisted Meyer along the way.Jessup said Meyer was an outstanding member of the FFA during his years in high school. He also acknowledged other accomplishments such as being a member of the 2016 state winning Farm Business Management Jr. Team and placing fifth in North Carolina’s FFA Truck Driving event.
In addition to winning regional speaking contest and other judging-based events, Meyer served in various leadership positions, including as president of the Hobbton FFA Chapter and the Southeast FFA Region during the 2017-2018 year.
“Ty has the ability to bounce back from disappointment such as when he failed to advance in Federation Creed Speaking event as a freshman and used it as motivation to improve and work harder which benefited him tremendously,” Jessup said. “I know Ty will be a tremendous state FFA officer and he will excel as he pursues his education at N.C. State University.”