So, at this point in the blog you might be wondering, how on earth does everyone else learn and know about this “ag stuff”? Great Question.
One thing I’ve discovered is that a lot of individuals who are informed and passionate about agriculture grew up involved with agricultural youth organizations such as Head, Heart, Hands, and Health (4-H) and Future Farmers of American (FFA).
Since FFA was a term that I hadn’t heard of until coming to college, I assumed there might be others out there who also haven’t heard of it, and as such it will be the topic of this blog post!
This past weekend, Cal Poly hosted the FFA State Finals, and I had the opportunity to facilitate in organizing and judging one of the contests. Through this experience, I was introduced to a whole new world! A world full of blue jackets, a trained speaking style, and many young passionate faces.
So, what is FFA?
According to the National FFA Organization, they are the largest youth leadership organization in the United States. California in and of itself is home to over 83,000 members! The organization encourages and facilitates in young individuals learning about leadership through community engagement, education, and Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE). These SAE’s allow students to explore careers, entrepreneurship, and gain employable skills through hands-on experiences.
Below are some images from the FFA State Finals held at Cal Poly on May 4th.
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