Both students are four year members of the Brokaw FFA Chapter at Clarinda High School who plan to enter agricultural professions following college.
McNees plans to attend Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., next year and major in agribusiness. After college she hopes to pursue a career in agricultural merchandising.
"FFA has provided me with several leadership opportunities and given me more knowledge about agriculture while helping me decide what future career I would like to pursue," McNees explained.
Meanwhile, Turner plans to attend college and pursue a degree in communication and radio broadcasting.
"I plan on being involved in agriculture and want to be around livestock. Through FFA I have learned leadership and other skills that I can take with me forever," Turner said.
Last year, as a junior, Turner had an opportunity to develop her leadership skills when she was elected president of the Brokaw Chapter.
"Serving as president allowed me to lead our annual banquet, meet a lot of people and influence our other members. That experience was the highlight of my involvement with FFA," Turner said.
McNees, meanwhile, is serving as the treasurer for the chapter this year and is a member of the State Soil Judging Team from Clarinda that has qualified for the National Soil Judging Contest to be held in May in Oklahoma City, Okla.
McNees finished second as individual in the state soil judging competition and the Brokaw Chapter team also finished second to qualify for the national event. Joining McNees on the team are Laura Beaver, Jill McCall and Dustin Sump.
"Last year's team also finished second at state and had a fun experience at the national competition so I decided I wanted to be involved with it. A lot of people think soil judging is just about dirt, but you have to know about the moisture levels, the slope of the land and what types of soil can be used for various agricultural purposes," McNees explained.
Last year Turner received a silver rating in the job interview contest held at the state FFA convention and was one of three members on the Program of Activities team that received a silver rating at the state competition.
Turner is competing in the Program of Activities event again this year and has been joined by McNees and Chantel King.
"Amanda and I are serving as the two speakers and we give a power-point presentation about what our club has done over the last year," Turner said.
McNees and Turner have also served as presenters for Farm Safety Days, Food for America and a seatbelt safety program.
"These programs teach the youth more about agriculture and show them how big of a role agriculture plays in their every-day life. It is exciting to know you are helping kids understand the importance of wearing a seat belt, where food comes from and being safe on the farm. It's great to know you can help them and have an impact on their life," Turner said.
Meanwhile, McNees and Turner have also been involved with various forms of livestock judging and exhibitions during their FFA careers.
Turner participated in a livestock judging contest held at Northwest Missouri State University, while McNees participated in the horse judging portion of the competition.
McNees also showed horses at the Iowa State Fair this summer and earned second place honors in her walk trot class and was fourth in the yearling class.
Finally, Turner and McNees have also earned their Iowa Degree, which is the highest state honor an FFA member can receive.
In order to earn an Iowa Degree an FFA member must successfully complete a Supervised Agricultural Experience of their choosing.
Turner earned her degree last year in the area of market steers. To earn the degree Turner had to earn at least $1,000 profit while raising, caring for and ultimately selling market steers.
"It was a really good feeling to know that you worked hard to get it and that I will be able to take the skills I learned and apply them to the rest of my life," Turner said.
McNees will receive her Iowa Degree at the state convention in April.
McNees has served as a stable assistant at LaGrange for the last four years and as a result earned her degree in the area of agricultural placement, which involves holding a job in an agricultural environment.
