Former Sturgis, South Dakota FFA member and current South Dakota State Veterinarian Dusty Oedekoven set a goal early on to serve as a state FFA officer. With the encouragement of his local FFA advisor, Oedekoven was elected to a state officer position in 1995-1996. “I had good mentors and advisors who provided inspiration and demonstrated it could be done. The other influence I had was other state officer teams. I saw how much fun they had and the leadership qualities they developed while serving as state FFA officers.” Oedekoven says the organization helped him understand how to set and achieve career goals. “I gained the experiences I needed to reach those goals. I had a number of influences to help me become a veterinarian, but the pathway was streamlined through the FFA.” Hear the story.
