Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
From the salmon of the Pacific Ocean to the vineyards of Yakima, two Palouse teenagers just wrapped up a year’s tour with the state FFA team.
Shane Riebold of Colfax, 19, and Sean Neal, 20, of Garfield, spent the past year touring with the six-member state team, educating high school FFA students and encouraging their projects around the state.
“You go from the rolling hills of Palouse to the remote places in the state; to the potato farms to where they are growing grapes and apples,” Neal said.
The state FFA convention will be held in Pullman, May 13 through May 15 at Beasley Coliseum.
Neal said hopping from the coast to the mountains to inner city FFA chapters was his favorite part of the year.
“You’re from rural Whitman County and people all seem the same. You get out to the west side with these big schools- [there’s a] big mindset difference in the way they are raised,” Neal said.
For example, they visited an FFA chapter in downtown Port Orchard where most of the students in the urban setting were raising their animals in one big barn on a city block.
“They have a great barn operation, raising animals and raising sheep,” Neal said. “Yeah, basically it’s just a couple blocks away from their school.”
The state officer positions are highly competitive. Applicants apply from FFA chapters around Washington and spend months training to rise through the ranks and be appointed to the top six.
Neal was raised on his family farm outside Garfield, where his family farms wheat, lentils and other typical Palouse crops. He is the son of Warren and Kelly Neil of Garfield.
Neal, who uses a wheelchair, describes himself as ambitious.
“I have a vision for where I want to be, and I’m not going to let a lot of things stop me from being there,” Neal said.
Neal qualified for the state FFA competition all four years of high school. He took first in extemporaneous speaking at state his sophomore year.
Neal graduated from Garfield/Palouse in 2008 and spent his first year out of high school attending WSU. He was elected state FFA vice president at the 79th state FFA convention a year ago in Pullman and spent last year on the state tour. He now plans on going back to WSU this fall to pursue a degree in finance.
Riebold graduated from Colfax in 2009 and spent all four years of high school working in the FFA. He qualified for state three years in a row. His senior year he spent working on his application for the state team.
Riebold said he greatly enjoyed talking with different students about their salmon fishing projects, their small-scale dairy farms, their apple and cherry orchards outside Wenatchee, and many other diverse agricultural projects.
Riebold, whose parents are Tom and Suzie Riebold, raised cattle as he grew up on his family’s farm just outside Colfax. While his family no longer raise cattle, Riebold still owns a few head he plans on selling before he goes to college. His herd, he said, is all from a single FFA heifer given to him his freshman year.
A member of the 2009 class at Colfax High School, Riebold was elected state sentinel at the convention last year in Pullman.
Having never seen some of the diverse sights in other regions of Washington, Riebold said he approached his year on the state tour with eyes wide open.
“What I really liked about it was the traveling and seeing different things. Even though it sounds really weird, we’re really sheltered here in the Palouse,” Riebold said. “It amazed me how it could be really cloudy and not rain,” he said of West side weather.
Riebold, who describes himself as quiet and interesting, said he’ll attend the UI this fall and major in chemical engineering.
The two said the year together helped them become close friends. The long hours on the road, late nights setting up for events and driving home together all helped build a good friendship.
“I can’t say enough good things about Shane. We’ve gone back and forth across the state countless times, countless late nights, and countless road trips,” Neal said. “It’s been cool to gain a best friend through this whole thing.”
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