SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Charlie Meier is quick to point out that had it not been for his involvement with FFA and 4-H as a youngster, he would not be a state representative.
Meier, R-Okawville, continues to pay it forward with his support of his high school alma mater in Okawville and its FFA chapter.
“I love Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day in Springfield. I love seeing all the FFA and 4-H kids. Without those two organizations, I wouldn’t be a state rep,” he said.
“I have no college education. I had a herd of dairy cows that I wanted to milk. In my senior year of high school, I had band, P.E. and ag in the morning and I was on the tractor by 11:30 every day growing up and somehow I’ve ended up a state rep.”
The 56th annual ag legislative day March 24 drew nearly 50 diverse agricultural organizations and about 600 FFA members and their advisers together to meet with lawmakers.
FFA members were tasked with delivering boxed lunches and commodity baskets to each legislator and meeting with lawmakers representing their districts. The baskets were filled with Illinois-produced products to remind lawmakers of agriculture’s diversity.
Meier, one of just a handful of legislators with ag backgrounds, met with numerous students and farm groups throughout the day, but when the Okawville FFA steps into his office, it’s that much more special because that’s where he got his start.
Read more at AgriNews.