Past National FFA President Commits to Lifetime of Ag Advocacy
“Lifelong Advocate for Agriculture and Former National FFA President.” That headline on Pennsylvania FFA Alum Gary Swan’s LinkedIn profile summarizes his decades-long commitment to the next generation of ag leaders.
Swan is one of many past national officers who’ve had formative careers in agriculture and other industries. After serving as national FFA president, Swan joined the New York Farm Bureau. He then served on the staff of the New York State Assembly before leadership roles in the private sector. He joined the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) in 2002 as Director of Government Affairs and Communications, directing the organization’s issue development and advocacy for agriculture in the state capital and Washington, D.C.
Along the way, Swan has volunteered his service to more than 30 organizations. Now retired from PFB, he continues his volunteer service as a board member for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Discovery Center and recently completed terms as commissioner for the State Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence and as a trustee for the Pennsylvania FFA Foundation.
Foundations in FFA
Swan says it was FFA that led a shy, introverted boy growing up on a Steuben County, N.Y., dairy farm to his success as New York FFA state president, national FFA president and beyond. Swan traces the origins of his success to participation in public speaking Leadership Development Events. This includes coming in almost last in his first contest as a freshman to placing second at the Eastern States Exposition his junior year, setting goals and working toward them, which led to continuous improvement and increased confidence.
However, it was what happened after the Eastern States Exposition that proved most significant for Swan. “Kenny McMillan, who was the national FFA president at the time, knocked on my door at the hotel,” Swan recalls. “We chatted for a while and then he said I should consider running for national office someday. His example of someone who came by not to congratulate the winner of the contest, but as an officer to motivate, inspire and encourage the person who did not win — that impressed me.”
Swan did run for national office, serving as national FFA president from 1966-67. “I describe FFA as a voyage of self-discovery,” Swan says. “It helps one discover one’s abilities, interests, talents and potential, but it also defines those things that are deficiencies that can be strengthened.”
His experiences taught him how to work on a team, the skill of creative thinking, the importance of a positive attitude, how to set goals and sustain the discipline to chase those goals and how to communicate in writing and in public presentations.
Swan says he is most proud that his entire career has been spent in advocacy for agriculture and agribusiness, whether as a salaried professional or volunteer. “That comes from my FFA roots,” he says. “When I look back on my life and career and reflect on the experiences I’ve had, it’s payback to the organization that helped make that possible. When I go to FFA conventions, I’m so inspired by the youth I see.”
