NYS FFA(Future Farmers of America) brought their State Officer Tour, a Regional Event, to Oakfield-Alabama High School on Monday.
NYS FFA Officers and 100 FFA members from 10 chapters in WNY met for an evening of personal growth, networking and fun.
There were four workshops held. Diversity and Inclusion, What’s after FFA, Being professional/first impressions and Speech Development.
The State Officer group is made up of college students and high school seniors. They will be traveling over 1700 miles this week to meet with the NYS Chapters.
According to NYFFA Director Derek Hill, there are almost 140 Chapters throughout the state, 40 of them have been added in the last 3 years.
“We kind of feel like there is this trend of people who want to know where their food is coming from and even though most students are 4-5 generations removed from the family farm, they are starting to see there is more to agriculture than just production farming,” says Hill.
Hill believes this generation is interested in sustainability and trying to do things that are better for the environment.
“When you talk about drones and precision agriculture, food service, natural resources and environmental science and getting into alternate energies, there is a lot more to agriculture than the food that comes to our plate. I think kids are starting to realize agriculture has a role in that.”
Developing leadership skills and inclusion are a big part of the FFA.
Taylor Rollins, who serves as a State Sentinel, is a Freshman in college and has been involved with FFA for seven years.
“There is a sense of inclusion and that is what keeps me involved,” says Rollins.
“You are part of a family and everybody treats each other with so much respect and kindness,”
Hill says there are five more chapters that will be created this week in NYS.
Elba has broke off from Oakfield-Alabama and they now have their own agriculture teacher.
After the workshops and a dinner break with the Red Osier Restaurant food truck, the groups toured the new school greenhouse and barn.
Here is a link to the FFA website