By Stephen Smoot
“Not everyone can say they are part of the sixth generation farming the same land,” Lydia Heavner shared recently while discussing the school’s FFA Week activities.
Pendleton County has grown deep agricultural roots into its historical soil and the FFA represents that well. Heavner, chapter vice president, stated that “probably the late 1800s” was when they purchased their family farm.
Not only the history and tradition, but also opportunities and the future highlight the mission of the FFA. Established in 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri, West Virginia wasted no time setting up a charter in the same year.
The merger of Franklin and Circleville high schools in 1999 led to the formation of the current Pendleton County FFA. It is one of 86 such programs serving 7,052 members across the state while serving as an organization engaged in training and mentoring the next generation.
Caleb Armentrout also comes from a family that has worked Pendleton County land for many generations. He also shared about the organization, “They teach you for the future. It teaches you how to make a living out of farming.”
According to AgSouth Farm Credit, one of the main killers of family farm independence comes from “poor money and time management” that comes from “a lack of planning and a failure to establish goals and priorities.”
Pendleton County’s FFA chapter seeks to nip in the bud such potential problems. McKenna Hedrick, sentinel for the organization, related that some of the most useful information she learned centered around “better record keeping.”
Many other students, including Heavner, chimed in and agreed “definitely record keeping.” Armentrout added, “Keeping up with everything, investing your money and saving it and developing sound business sense.”
Makayla Tingler has spent three years with FFA and stated that her most important experiences included “going to state convention.” She explained that “it puts you in an environment with people from all over the state.” Tingler added that exposure to people from other areas represented a chance to learn how farming gets done differently by other people in other places.
“Other chapters get awards for things I didn’t even know of,” she noted.
She also described working with lambs as one of her projects. Tingler stated that “I go buy sheep when they’re about four months old. You feed them, take care of them” then “show and sell them at the fair.”
Heavner discussed why she enjoys raising and selling goats. “They kind of reflect my personality,” she said, “they’re stubborn.”
Gena Lambert serves as reporter for FFA, which gave her the chance to learn a great deal. She said, “This office has led me to have the best experiences. I got to travel with my officer group to Indiana and go to the National FFA Convention, where I saw people from every state and talked to so many new people.”
“Another experience is going to state convention and competing,” added Lambert, who also said “I competed in parliamentary procedure and learned the basics to conduct a government meeting, also how to properly debate anything thrown my way.”
Tanner Rogers told how he learned more about greenhouse agriculture, currently a significant area of growth in West Virginia. The state’s broken and uneven terrain makes large scale traditional agriculture difficult, but the eroded ridge and hilltops have ample space for high-tunnel greenhouse farming.
During FFA Week, the group performed service for others, while educating younger students about farming in general and FFA specifically. Hedrick talked about organizing the teachers’ breakfast and holding Food for America at elementary schools, which included teaching about farming and handing out seeds for the younger children to plant.
Armentrout, chapter treasurer, discussed how he worked with eighth graders and “told them a lot about FFA, get them involved early.”
Pendleton Community Bank donated two checks. The bank allows casual Fridays for those willing to donate $5.00 to a local charity. The FFA received the donations collected for both January and February.
One of the key benefits of FFA lies in how it does not simply prepare participants for a career in farming, but also provides skills for life. Lessons learned in centuries of American farming, such as good business management, financial discipline, communications skills, and more have application in almost any important endeavor.
But few endeavors are more important than growing, harvesting, and selling the food that America needs.