INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 6, 2026/National FFA Organization) – The 2025-26 National FFA Officer Team recently returned from the National FFA Officers International Experience Program in Japan, where they experienced Japanese culture and agriculture in partnership with sister organization Future Farmers of Japan (FFJ). This annual trip provides National FFA Officers the chance to experience firsthand how agriculture transcends geographical boundaries and strengthens a partnership that dates back to 1950.

This program develops the national officers’ language skills, business practices, and communication techniques to build cross-cultural cooperation while providing an opportunity for them to practice peer leadership on an international scale, explore the complexities and implications of agriculture as part of the international landscape, and expand their cultural competency through reflected and guided instruction.

TOKYO, KYOTO, HIROSHIMA, AND KAGOSHIMA

Throughout their trip, the six student leaders engaged in a variety of experiences, including:

• Enjoy a tea ceremony
• Tour a Japanese supermarket
• Visit with FFJ members at a local high school
• Miyajima Cattle Farm Tour
• Visit a green onion farm and organic vegetable farm
• Explore a Japanese farmers market
• Visit Sumitomo Chemical’s Agro & Life Solutions Research Lab
• Learn about traditional Japanese dance and culture
• Visit a bamboo forest
• Tour historic sites like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
• See a Japanese tea leaf picking machine in action

“One of the most impactful parts of the trip was witnessing true hospitality,” said Jael Cruikshank, National FFA Western Region Vice President. “After visiting a beef operation and seeing the care and pride producers take in their work, we later shared a meal featuring that same wagyu beef. Even without understanding the language, their passion for agriculture was clear in the way they spoke and served with excellence.”

Each fall at the National FFA Convention & Expo, student members of the National FFA Organization select six National FFA Officers. The primary responsibility of a national officer is to serve the organization in local, state, national and international activities in a way that will inform, motivate and inspire FFA members, advisors, state staff, teachers and others to achieve the mission, strategies and core goals of the organization. The officers will share knowledge gained from their experience in Japan with state chapter members.

2025-26 FFA NATIONAL OFFICER TEAM

• President: Trey Myers, Oklahoma
• Secretary: Lilly Nyland, Michigan
• Eastern Region Vice President: Joey Nowotny, Delaware
• Central Region Vice President: Claire Woeppel, Nebraska
• Southern Region Vice President: T. Wayne Williams, Tennessee
• Western Region Vice President: Jael Cruikshank, Oregon

“We got to visit a radish farm on an island in Kagoshima, and while there we met a man who has been farming radish for 75 years!” said Trey Myers, National FFA President. “He couldn’t be happier with the life he has been given, and we appreciated how well he could still get around at 91 years old. We learned the Japanese take their health very seriously and the fruits of that were very visible.”

National officers dedicate one year of service to the organization. The time is spent representing student membership during meetings with the National FFA Board of Directors, facilitating workshops that bring leadership and knowledge to FFA members, delivering motivational speeches, and serving as advocates for FFA on a global scale.

“We visited Tokyo Metropolitan Nogyo High School at Jindai Farm when we witnessed a passion for agriculture,” said Claire Woeppel, National FFA Central Region Vice President. “These students didn’t grow up with a traditional agriculture background, but they found their passion through opportunities in their classroom through Future Farmers of Japan. I will remember the students who were so proud to show their projects to us and will use them as an example to encourage students in the states in FFA to find their passion through opportunities in their classrooms.”

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,042,245 student members as part of 9,407 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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About National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,042,245 student members as part of 9,407 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter.

About National FFA Foundation
The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations, and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders, and support the future of agricultural education. Governed by a 19-member board of trustees composed of educators, business leaders, individual donors and FFA Alumni, the foundation is a separately registered nonprofit organization. About 82 percent of every dollar received by the foundation supports FFA members and agricultural education opportunities. For more, visit FFA.org/Give.