Perseverance is key with Wellston high schooler Kaden James. The sophomore placed first this year in the Intermediate AFR/OFU division at the American Farmers and Ranchers (AFR) State Speech Contest held in Stillwater on Dec. 2. However, he competed in the same category the year prior and placed second.
“It wasn’t necessarily one of just excitement, but almost a relief since you’re waiting there in constant anticipation,” he said. “But it was also very rewarding in knowing that every single amount of effort that I had put forward into that moment wasn’t just paying out in what I got to do on stage, but was paying out within the internal reward that I go through the skills I attained.”
He was one of two students from Wellston who competed at the state contest - the other being Josie Murray - and the only one to place, according to Wellston FFA advisor and Ag Teacher Marty Coulsen.
“Kaden is an outstanding young man who puts extreme effort into everything he does. It’s not surprising to see him succeed based on his attitude and work ethic,” Coulsen said.
James’ speech focused on the lobbying efforts of American farmers and ranchers, particularly on recent antibiotic regulations, he said. In 2015, legislation was passed requiring farms and ranchers nationwide to get a majority of medical supplements and vaccinations through prescriptions; however, there is a shortage of veterinarians in rural areas. This has led to a lot of farmers not being able to have the same access to antibiotics and other medical treatments that they need, according to James.
“So, largely, I focused on that. There were a few other miscellaneous topics I covered in my speech, such as groundwater rights, lobbying efforts, the focus of AFR’s organization and garnering the opinions of their constituents in order to best represent them inside of the nation’s capital and our state legislature as well,” he said.
James said that he plans to attend Oklahoma State University and major in either agribusiness or agricultural economics with a pre-law option. Doing speech contests like this will only help him, he said.
“Especially having the knowledge of not just drafting a speech, but also the knowledge of how to construct concise and persuasive arguments,” James said. “And being able to think clearly about issues that pertain to the masses of people in front of us is something I believe will carry people like you and me very far into the future.”
He said he plans to compete in more speech contests this spring, as well as competing inside FFA. He plans to do livestock judging, land judging and take part in a quiz bowl competition.
This year was the 78th year of the contest, according to a press release from AFR. While divided by grade level, this year’s speech categories were AFR/OFU, Agricultural Policy, Agribusiness, Natural Resources, Extemporaneous and Agri-Science.
Nearly 500 students competed in speech contests this fall, which resulted in more than 160 finalists advancing to the state level. The top three competitors in each category received cash prizes.
“Public speaking is one of the most valuable skills young people can gain for their future careers,” said AFR Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh in the press release. “We are honored to host the 78th Annual Speech Contest, which has a long-standing tradition of fostering professionalism and confidence in Oklahoma’s youth.”