The Road Paved in National Blue and Corn Gold

Kelly Barnes at an FFA event.

For many Oklahoma FFA members, one voice stands out above the rest: Kelly Barnes, a speaker whose message has shaped countless young leaders. As a public speaker and advocate for the organization, Barnes is a dedicated FFA Alumnus.

Barnes joined FFA in the eighth grade — the first class of his school to do so — but his FFA background extends far beyond that. Raised on a dairy farm and involved in 4-H early on, Barnes had a deep love for agriculture. After joining FFA and hearing his first keynote speaker, Barnes discovered a whole new passion for public speaking and agriculture.

“After hearing my first public speaker, that was it,” he says. “I knew what I wanted to do.”

Alumni Camp Magic

Although seeing his first inspirational speaker brought public speaking into the light for Barnes, the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Leadership Camp was an experience that solidified his decision. These two events became favorites for Barnes.

“Everything leads back to Alumni Camp — my career, and my entire life,” he says. “I actually even met my wife at Alumni Camp.”

Alumni Camp continues to play a major role in Barnes’ life. Every summer, he supports members at Camp Tulakogee by helping run and manage the camp, as well as speaking at the camp’s general sessions.

Barnes speaking at Oklahoma Alumni Leadership Camp.

​Barnes served the Oklahoma FFA Association from 2002-04 as a state officer, eventually becoming state president.

“If I could give one piece of advice to members competing for a state officer position, it would be not to focus on the process,” he says. “Instead, understand the job. Too often, people striving for an officer position want the thrill of their name being called at the state convention, but do not want the responsibilities of actually serving this organization. Take a step back and decide which reason you want this position.” ​

Public speaking events and career development events played a major part in Barnes’ FFA journey. However, this does not mean he was successful at every competition. “The best thing I learned was in order to get good, you have to get good at failing,” he says.

While failure is never your first choice, FFA taught Barnes never to fear failure because without it, what are you really learning? This became an important lesson for Barnes. He now encourages FFA members through his keynote speeches not to fear failure, but to embrace it and the lessons it brings.

​A Lasting Impact

These are lessons Barnes continues to carry with him into his adult life, and he brings them into almost every inspirational talk he has with FFA members. He has used the skills he gained while in FFA to build his own public speaking empire.

Although his road was paved in national blue and corn gold, his message reaches further. Still, when asked about his experience, Barnes said, “FFA is something I have been thankful for in every phase of my life, and something I will continue to be thankful for.”

The concluding line of the FFA motto, “Living to Serve,” will always stick with alumni like Barnes. Those individuals will continue living to serve, long after they have hung up their corduroy jackets.