BARGERSVILLE, Ind. — The pasture grass doesn’t have time to grow under Allie Abney’s feet. In June, she stepped down from a whirlwind year as Indiana FFA state president; in July, she stepped up onstage as Miss Johnson County.
As 2013-14 state FFA president, the 19-year-old Bargersville resident put her first year at Purdue University aside and traveled more than 30,000 miles to promote leadership and personal growth among the organization’s 10,000 members. She led FFA members in workshops and conferences and was the face of youth in agriculture as she met with leaders in business, government and education.
Now the 10-year 4-Her enjoys bringing that message home and using her tiara to make an impact on the youth in Johnson County. With a personality and compassion that matches the sparkle in her eyes, she has no problem drawing an audience to hear that message.
"It’s cool being able to serve in this capacity in the community, and I like serving on the local level boards just as much as the state level," Abney said. "This year I can make an impact for 4-H, agriculture and FFA, and the skills I’ve learned will benefit me in doing that. I want to impact youth at a local level and let them know they can have the same opportunities that I did."
But Abney almost brushed off any association with FFA and the opportunities it brought her way.
Her parents, Doug and Sherry Abney, met at Purdue where they majored in engineering and communications, respectively. After they married, Doug couldn’t shake the thought of summers he spent at his grandparents’ farm and decided that was how he wanted to raise his family.
The Abneys searched the "donut" counties of Indianapolis and settled in Bargersville, where they now have a herd of 50 Belted Galloway cattle that they have shown at the local, state and national levels.
Abney won Supreme Belted Galloway Showman at the 2011 World Beef Expo and Reserve Grand Champion Belted Galloway Showman at the 2012 North American International Livestock Exposition. As she was about to enter high school, her older sister, Angela, encouraged her to join FFA.
"At first I said no, I don’t want to be a future farmer, but my sister brought me along," she said. "It’s been five years of awesomeness."
At Franklin Community High School, Abney served as FFA chapter secretary, student advisor and president. She was active in many leadership development events, including the Ag Issues Team and Ag Sales Presentation, as well as the meats evaluation, Livestock Skill-A-Thon, soils evaluation and Parliamentary Procedures team. Her proficiency level in many activities won several state awards.
On the national level, Abney attended the Washington Leadership Conference in 2012 and served as national delegate to the 2012 National FFA Convention.
Somehow, she fit her FFA and 4-H activities into her other interests as a high school student. She was a varsity cheerleader, a member of the National Honor Society, Principal Leadership Council, Student Council, Franklin Recycling and Nature Conservation Club, Interact, KEY Club and American Sign Language Club.
She also gained entrepreneurial experience with her sister’s business, Red Barn Meats, helping with marketing. Her abundance of activities in the agricultural arena showed her "everyone is passionate about what they do: Feeding the country."
This summer she served as a communications intern with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, helping set up the Normandy Barn at the Indiana State Fair where farmers will be on hand to answer questions about agriculture for the next two weeks.
Abney will be in the first group of county fair queens who will vie for Miss Indiana in a January competition rather than at this month’s state fair. The contest was moved to allow contestants to concentrate on their education late in the summer, rather than the competition.
She is glad to have the fall months to concentrate on her chosen project as county fair queen, a dress drive for the Riley Children’s Hospital Dance. She will be at the state fair representing Johnson County, working as a cashier for the FFA store in the CountryMark Building – and no doubt sampling a ribeye sandwich, her favorite fair food.
At Purdue this fall she will focus on her double major of agricultural economics and communications, looking to a career in agriculture law. She plans to be an advocate for the farmer, whether it is in Washington championing the farm bill or at the local level.
"Whether it’s in D.C. or in the courtroom, farmers need to know the law and understand the policies and regulations," Abney pointed out.
She is excited to serve as a role model for young people in 4-H and FFA and hopes to pass on her philosophy of success. "Things didn’t just happen. It took a lot of work to become an FFA officer, state president and fair queen," she said. "Opportunities aren’t missed; other people take them."
