Zach Kinne: National FFA President 2007–08
Missouri · No. 81 of 100 · National FFA President 2007–08
At a Glance
- Office: National FFA President, 2007–08 (No. 81 of 100)
- Home state: Missouri; North Harrison High School graduate
- Education at election: Junior at the University of Missouri–Columbia
- Distinction: Second Missourian elected national president (after Leslie Fry, 1930s)
- Career: Agricultural policy; director of public policy for the National Corn Growers Association (as of 2016)
Zach Kinne was elected National FFA President at the 2007 convention in Indianapolis. He was only the second Missourian to hold the office, and he turned an early trip to Washington into a career in agricultural policy.
Election and Term, 2007–08
A report on the 2008 Missouri State FFA Convention notes that Kinne, a graduate of North Harrison High School and a junior at the University of Missouri–Columbia, was elected National FFA President in October at the national convention in Indianapolis. It said he would travel more than 100,000 miles during his term, visit more than 40 states, be part of an international tour of Japan and meet leaders in education, business and government. He delivered the national officer address at the Missouri convention and was described as the second Missourian to serve as national president; the first was Leslie Fry, elected in the 1930s.
Missouri’s Long Gap
A University of Missouri report on Paxton Dahmer’s 2020 election as a national vice president described Dahmer as the first national FFA officer from Missouri since 2007 and only the third since 2000, a sign of how Kinne’s year stood out in the state’s history.
Washington and Agricultural Policy
In an August 2016 segment on the “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio, Kinne said his first visit to Washington, D.C. had been to attend the Washington Leadership Conference, and that his FFA experiences helped him realize his goal of a career in agricultural policy. At that time he was director of public policy for the National Corn Growers Association in the nation’s capital. This page does not cover his family or residence, and the sources found for this site do not describe his current role.
Why His Story Matters
Kinne’s path shows the policy pipeline that begins at FFA’s Washington Leadership Conference: a student sees the capital for the first time, then builds a career around agriculture and public policy.
Sources
- Sheridan Express: State FFA results (April 25, 2008)
- Rural Radio, FFA Today (Aug. 20, 2016): Zach Kinne segment (original link no longer resolves; checked Nov. 2026)
- University of Missouri CAFNR: Representing Missouri on the National Level (original link no longer resolves; checked Nov. 2026)
- Missouri FFA Association: Past National FFA Officers