Audubon farmer Randy Dreher ar­­rived early to help set up for a recent Iowa FFA conference, where 150-plus high school students would soon fill the halls of the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.

Dreher knew it wouldn’t be easy to capture the wandering attention of a group of young ag students on a Saturday morning.

So Dreher and the state FFA officers made sure to offer plenty of games, props and loud music, if necessary, to keep the teenagers focused on developing their leadership skills.

"You have to make it fun, and you have to almost fool them into learning something. That’s how it works," Dreher said.

Dreher, 33, has conducted leadership training for FFA students ever since he was a state FFA officer and ag business student at Iowa State University.

"I find value in helping them become better...