Amboy graduate named 2025 state FFA president: ‘I’ve been exposed to the blue jacket for a very long time’

AMBOY – Under the bright lights of the Bank of Springfield Center, Natalie Pratt stepped into a role she was not expecting but is prepared for – state president of the Illinois Association FFA.

“You can ask anyone in my family, being the elected president was kind of a takeback for all of us,” Pratt said. “We were very surprised and, obviously, very blessed for the opportunity. ... Being on the major state officer team has been a goal of mine since I was a freshman.”

The announcement came during the FFA’s 97th annual convention June 12 in Springfield, where Pratt was elected by a delegation of an estimated 450 FFA members.

“When I was backstage and I heard my name get called for president, I kind of had flashbacks of being a freshman in FFA sitting in those bleacher seats and being amazed and drawn to the major state officer on that stage,” Pratt said. “Now, I get the opportunity to serve as state president.”

FFA is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership, according to its website. FFA is not just for students who want to be production farmers; FFA also welcomes members who aspire to hold careers as teachers, doctors, scientists and business owners.

Pratt, who graduated from Amboy High School this year, has family ties to FFA that reach back to her childhood. Her mother, aunt and uncle all served as state officers, and Pratt often traveled with her mother to FFA conventions and workshops.

“I was her tag-along buddy,” Pratt said. “I’ve been exposed to the blue jacket for a very long time, but it wasn’t until I got my jacket when I was a freshman that I got to participate as an active FFA member, and it just really kick-started my journey.”

Since then, Pratt has blazed her own FFA trail, serving as the organization’s Section 2 president this past year, a position in which she oversaw 16 schools and about 450 students. Although that role is a prerequisite for running for state president, she said that pursuing the presidency was not her original intent when taking the position.

Pratt plans to take a gap year before beginning her studies at Oklahoma State University in agricultural education, with a minor in agricultural policy. She plans to become a high school agriculture teacher but first would like to spend some time in Washington advocating and speaking on policy issues.

“The FFA jacket has given me the blessed opportunity to travel to D.C. many, many times to legislate and lobby for the farm bill in the House of Representatives and in the Senate,” Pratt said. “Because I love D.C. so much and because I’ve been blessed with a voice to speak about agriculture, I think it’s my duty and my job to use that as a space to advocate for agriculture in the nation’s capital for just a couple of years, not forever.”

That passion will serve her upcoming responsibilities as president, including legislative advocacy at both the state and federal levels.

Pratt and her fellow officers soon will return to Washington to speak in support of agricultural issues, including the farm bill – a recurring piece of legislation she described as central to maintaining and protecting American agriculture.

Known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the farm bill is a large piece of federal legislation that sets funding and policy for agriculture, food programs and rural development in the U.S. It is renewed about every five years and covers everything from crop insurance and conservation to food assistance programs.

On the state level, Pratt plans to continue efforts to maintain level funding for agricultural education through the state’s $7.5 million line item, which she said has been successfully upheld in recent years. When asked about the challenges ahead, she pointed to a lack of information rather than opposition as being the biggest hurdle.

“Our job in the blue jacket is to make people educated and make people understand the importance of level funding, of our line-item budget and the importance of the farm bill,” Pratt said. “Because once you understand that, there’s nothing to be opposed to. Everyone loves to eat. Our food and our clothes come from American agriculture. Those are necessities.”

But the FFA is more than politics for Pratt. It represents a deeply personal feeling of safety and inclusion.

“When I was in high school, my blue corduroy was my safe place. The ag room was my second home, and I have learned so many life-changing lessons,” Pratt said. “Sometimes, students, especially freshmen, just need that little kick-start to understand that the blue jacket can be their safe place, too. So if what they need to make that happen for them is just a good conversation, a good smile and a positive experience in the FFA jacket, then I want to make it my goal and my mission to be that one person.”

Pratt acknowledged the teacher who was “that one person” for her, helping to shape her into the leader she is becoming.

“Just a shoutout to my ag teacher, Mr. Joe Heavner of the Amboy FFA chapter,” Pratt said. “He is the reason that I’m the person that I am and, hopefully, the president that I will be.”