Annie Schneider from the Seiling FFA Chapter will represent Oklahoma in the 2025 National Prepared Public Speaking Contest at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. Schneider spoke with senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays about this opportunity. She shared that her journey in public speaking began years ago. “It actually all started my eighth-grade year,” she said. “We started with an opening ceremonies contest, it’s a lot more comfortable because it’s with a team.” Although her team didn’t place at state that year, she said the experience “lit the fire in me,” pushing her to continue competing through creed, prepared, and extemporaneous speaking events.
In addition to her speaking success, Annie remains deeply involved in livestock showing. “I’ve been showing pigs, and my family’s been raising pigs since I was three or four years old,” she explained. Showing livestock has been a lifelong passion, teaching her discipline and responsibility. “It’s always been the part that I said I would miss the most about high school,” she reflected. Yet as she’s traveled and shared her speech across Oklahoma, Annie admitted, “I’m thinking I might miss [public speaking] a little bit more next year.”
Her current speech, titled “Where the Green Grass Grows,” focuses on the issue of overgrazing—a topic she calls “something that all producers face at some point, no matter where they live.” She began developing the speech her sophomore year, continually refining it through her state-winning performance and preparation for nationals. “It’s not super flashy or exciting,” Annie said, “but it’s something that needs to be talked about a lot more to make sure that we’re taking care of the land and the cattle in a responsible and sustainable manner.”
Annie’s passion for the topic grew from conversations with her father on their ranch in western Oklahoma. “This topic was born just riding around in the pickup next to my dad,” she said. Growing up in an area once devastated by the Dust Bowl has made her especially aware of responsible land management. “If we honor that past, agriculture will continue to grow and adapt to any new challenges that we have,” she said. She also emphasized how modern tools can help prevent overgrazing, noting, “You can use AI separately from drones, or cohesively with drones, to monitor pastures and develop practical grazing plans.”
Through her research, Annie said she’s gained a deeper understanding of the broader systems affecting agriculture. “I think I’ve learned more about what role the government and legislative policies have to play within this issue,” she explained. She sees both helpful programs and areas for improvement to better support producers. As she looks toward her senior year, Annie is preparing to shift her focus from prepared to extemporaneous speaking. “It’s sad saying goodbye to prepared after this next week at Nationals,” she said, “but I am excited to get back into extemp, it’ll be a little bit more of a stress-free speech season.”
Good luck, Annie Schneider!
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