Scoop: Q and A Miss Ag

A local teen has been named Central Indiana Teen Miss United States Agriculture.

Samantha Deppe of Bargersville earned the title. She is a junior at Indian Creek High School.

Here is why she wanted the job and how she prepared.

Why did you want to go for this award?

I wanted to go for this award for a lot of reasons, the main one being I wanted to represent Indiana’s agricultural achievements. Being an advocate for agriculture is going to be a great experience for me.

How did you prepare for the pageant?

The state pageant is a bit different than our national pageant. Some states have a real state pageant but Indiana had an at-large registration.

What is your involvement in agriculture?

My involvement in agriculture really began in seventh grade. I was lucky enough to be able to become involved in FFA and that really sparked my interest. I began raising and showing horses about 10 years ago. It’s definitely had it’s ups and downs. I’m the current treasurer of the Indian Creek FFA Chapter and I also work at Kelsay Farms.

What was involved in the pageant?

The national pageant will be like most beauty pageants, we have a formal wear competition, an on-stage question, as well as some optional events such as an essay and state fun fashion.

What are your duties?

My duties are to promote agriculture in a healthy way. So many people have the wrong idea about crop and livestock raising. My duties require me to go out and show people what agriculture really is, not what the media has made it out to be. Another duty is to share who is helping me along the way, Bradley Farms LLC, Ponders Tree Service and Indian Creek Stables. These people have made all of this possible for me.

How are you preparing for the national pageant?

Right now I’m really working on my public appearance, I want to be more confident in myself and my abilities. I think having a good self confidence is going to be really important for the national pageant.

What was the most difficult part?

The most difficult part for me was waiting to hear back about whether I received the title or not. I’ve known about the program for awhile and I’ve always knew it was something I wanted to be involved with. It was really nerve wracking for me because I was so excited about the opportunity. Another difficult part for me is getting my name and who I am out there, not many people know a title like this exists.

What is your top mission for your title?

My top mission for my title is to promote agriculture in a positive and healthy way. I really want to make sure that people understand that agriculture is truly critical to our past, present and future.