FFA News

Liberty-Benton FFA members partied at their chapter meeting October 16, At Ann Burner’s house.

L-B FFA had their monthly meeting for October this month. After discussing possible activities for the chapter, they had a bonfire/Halloween party. The y had a cookout with hotdogs and other sides as well as games and then of course their meeting. Most members of the FFA chapter showed up which was a great turn out. Everyone had a great time.

Afterwards we cleaned up and went home knowing we were going to be doing some very fun, exciting, and educational activities in FFA this year.

Special Thanks to everyone who helped out setting up and tearing down the meeting. A very special thanks to Ann Burner for letting us use her property for our meeting and party.

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Hundreds of FFA members will volunteer their time and skills Oct. 25-26 to help a host of Indianapolis-area organizations.

Each year during its annual National FFA Convention & Expo, the National FFA Organization stages its National Days of Service and encourages students to volunteer. The program is designed to educate FFA members about the importance of community service to both local communities and their own personal development.

The 10 organizations that FFA members will volunteer for are:

• Agape Therapeutic Riding Center, which has an equestrian program for those who have disabling conditions or are at risk;
• Central Indiana Land Trust, which works with residents in the community to protect and restore important land including farm and timber lands;
• Damar Services, which provides residential and support services to more than 1,400 children and adults with developmental and behavioral challenges;
• Gleaners Food Bank, which helps feed the hungry in 21 countries with more than 410 nonprofit organizations;
• Indy Parks, which maintains more than 200 city parks;
• Jameson Camp, which is a wellness camp that promotes healthy choices in nutrition and fitness for children affected by HIV/AIDS;
• Joy’s House, which allows aging adults and those living with physical or mental challenges to participate in a social environment;
• Maplelawn Farmstead, which helps future generations understand why farming is important and experience the effect of heritage preservation in communities;
• Second Helpings, which accepts donated perishable and overstocked food to prepare nutritious meals for thousands of hungry children and adults every day; and
• St.… Continue reading

Two long-time FFA sponsors will donate more than 60,000 pounds of food to one of Indiana’s largest and busiest community food banks.

Austin, Minn.-based Hormel is giving 35,640 pounds of chili with beans and Springdale, Ark.-headquartered Tyson Foods is giving more than 30,000 pounds of fresh chicken to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana. Both companies will deliver their donations to the food bank at 8:45 a.m. Thursday.

Gleaners is located at 3737 Waldemere Ave. in Indianapolis.

The food is being given in support of the National FFA Organization’s Feeding the World-Starting at Home campaign, which launched Wednesday to open the 2012 National FFA Convention & Expo. Since, FFA members from throughout the nation have been working in shifts to pack 1 million meals that will be distributed locally and overseas.

“This donation is in alignment with our company’s commitment to nourish the hungry in the United States one community at a time,” said Julie H.… Continue reading

Four members of the Southeastern FFA recently competed at the state soils competition in urban evaluation, placing 28^th out of 49 teams. The event was held at Malabar Farm near Lucas, Ohio. Individually, Mitchel Shawhan led the team by placing 30^th overall out of 180 students competing. Joining Mitchel for competition were Cory Knox, Hayden Eriksen and Dylan Nave. We would like to thank both Brian Harbage and Jeff Shawhan for digging and setting up practice pits as well as Chuck McNier for accompanying the group to the event.

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Members of the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA chapter/county Farm Bureau Youth were part of over 130 Ohio Farm Bureau Youth members and FFA members and advisors who recently attended Ohio Leadership Camp held in Carrollton, Ohio at FFA Camp Muskingum.

The students were able to attend camp through a scholarship sponsored by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Inc.  and Nationwide Insurance, both of Columbus.  The two organizations have been sponsors of the Ohio FFA for 51 consecutive years.

Scholarship recipients in this area include: Mikaila Drake, Rachel Stoneburner and Nick Brumfield.

On hand to present the scholarships were Shelby Faukner, President of the Ohio FFA Association, Steve Fino, Director of Sponsor Relations for Nationwide Insurance, and a representative of the Ohio Farm Bureau.  While at camp, the FFA members took part in leadership training sessions which were conducted by National FFA Leadership Development staff.  In addition to learning about leadership qualities, the campers participated in the co-initiative course where they were taught teamwork through various challenges and initiatives.… Continue reading

iHigh.com, Alltech & RFD-TV Join Forces In Support Of Rural Youth

For the first time, those interested in viewing the National FFA Convention & Expo will have both broadcast and digital viewing options, thanks to a new partnership between iHigh.com, Alltech and Rural Media Group, Inc., who have joined forces to launch MyRURALTV.com on iHigh.com.

The MyRURALTV.com site on iHigh.com offers the world’s largest library of rural-based programming, which is made available at no charge to the viewer.  More than 140 independent program producers anchor the site with 5,000+ hours archived at this time.   The site is updated weekly with additional offerings coming from both the RFD-TV and RURAL TV broadcasts, which break the site down into separate channels for agriculture, equine, rural lifestyle, and traditional music & entertainment.  MyRURALTV is supported by advertising that can be targeted for regional spots down to the viewer’s zip code.

“The FFA Convention is the perfect opportunity to unveil this new technology, as it will allow us to showcase exactly how major rural events can now be covered,” stated Patrick Gottsch, Rural Media Group’s founder and president. 

By Emily Vanhorn, chapter reporter

It’s that time once again! The Greenville FFA fruit sale has come to town. The fruit sale will be held through Nov. 20. The FFA will be selling Navel Oranges, Tangelos, Red Grapefruit, Pears, Pineapples and Tangerines. They will also be selling Ohio Grown Apples in mixed boxes. The box includes Red Delicious, Gold Delicious, and Granny Smith. You can sample different fruits with our mixed box, which contains navels, grapefruit, and tangelos. A neat gift idea is the 4 and 8 quart fruit baskets. The baskets contain oranges, grapefruit, pears, red and gold apples, nuts and candy. The 8 quart basket also includes a pineapple.

They are also offering Peanuts, Almonds, Pecans, and D.B. Yummers BBQ Sauce, Jeff’s Jerky, and  a variety of cheeses.

The fruit is available in boxes, half boxes or bags. The BBQ sauce comes in19.5 oz. bottles. We are hoping to make the 2012 fruit sale our best yet and hope that you will help us achieve this goal.… Continue reading

On Sept. 26, Hiland FFA members had a fun experience participating and helping with the 5th Grade Farm Tour.
At  the tour, members assisted the Soil and Water Conservation District in many ways.

Some of the jobs were being tour guides for each group to lead them to each of the five stations: Wildlife, Farm Safety, Farming, Soils, and Soil Snacks, and also, in helping at each station or in lunch preparation.

At Wildlife, kids learned about many different things such as different animal skulls and basic rules. They learned at Farm and Safety basic safety skills.

While at farming they learned some basic things about farming and how the cattle is raised. At soils they learned about the different top soils.

Finally, at soil snacks they made soil profiles that they could eat. The soil profiles were made from sprinkles, graham crackers, gummy worms, coco puffs, and pretzels.

After the fifth graders boarded their buses to go back to school, members went around the farm and helped pick up trash and straw bales which were used as seats for the kids.… Continue reading

While one contingent of blue hits the road this weekend to take on Tennessee, another will converge on the city to be inspired, compete for scholarships, perform community service and help shape the future of the National FFA Organization.

More than 55,000 student members of FFA and their teachers from throughout the U.S., Puerto and the Virgin Islands will attend this week’s annual National FFA Convention & Expo. This year’s event – the 85th consecutive gathering since FFA was founded in 1928 – runs Wednesday through Saturday.

Nine general sessions will bring tens of thousands of FFA members together at a single time under a single roof during the four-day event at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium. They will also flow through the aisles of the Expo, an event that showcases nearly 400 corporations, businesses, organizations and colleges Wednesday through Friday at Indiana Convention Center.

Figure skating star Scott Hamilton will be the keynote speaker during the convention’s opening session.

FFA members from all 50 states will take the first swing Wednesday of a long-term fight to help eliminate global hunger.

As a kickoff event of the 2012 National FFA Convention & Expo, more than 10,000 FFA members, teachers, alumni and volunteers will work hour-long shifts from Wednesday through Friday and pack meals during the “Rally to Fight Hunger.” The rally kicks off at 12:45 p.m. with public remarks at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Their collective goal: Create 1 million meals by Friday night. Half will be distributed in the Indianapolis area and half will be shipped overseas in coordination with Kids Against Hunger, a humanitarian food-aid organization.

“No one is better positioned to address hunger than FFA members who are tomorrow’s leaders who will provide food and nutrition for a growing planet,” said National FFA Organization CEO Dwight Armstrong. “Hunger is the right issue for FFA and it is fully aligned with our values and vision.

The officer team presented the guests with the 2012-2013 Preble Shawnee FFA Program of Activities. Furthermore, Daniel Zimmerman the Ohio FFA Association Reporter addressed the group discussing how FFA has had an impact on his life. Cyndi Brill from the Ohio Department of Education discussed the opportunities available through agricultural education offered at the high school level.… Continue reading

The fruit sales are now on! The Miami East FFA Chapter is now holding their annual Fruit Fundraiser. The Miami East FFA will be selling Washington Red Delicious Apples, Washington Golden Delicious Apples, Ohio Red Delicious Apples, Ohio Golden Delicious Apples, Navel Oranges, Tangelos, Pears, Pineapples, Pink Grapefruit, Mixed Fruit, and Peanuts. The fruit is sold in full and half boxes.

We are also offering a variety of cheeses, including Colby, Swiss, Marble, Pepper Jack, and Horseradish, ring-bologna, large and small fruit gift baskets, and BBQ sauces. Additionally, FFA is offering Jack Link’s Beef Steaks in Original or Teriyaki Flavors. You will receive 12 – 1 ounce steaks for $15.00.

Miami East FFA chapter will be selling from now through November 14th. Delivery will be the first full in December. If you want to buy fruit there will be FFA members travelling throughout the community. If an FFA member doesn’t contact you, feel free to call Miami East High School, at 335-7070 ext.… Continue reading

By Audrey Ivers, chapter reporter

On September 28^th, 18 freshmen from the West Holmes FFA chapter traveled to Greenhand Camp at FFA Camp Muskingum. The freshmen who attended were: William Hughes, Coven Mullet, Jason Jenkins, Jeared Miller, Patrick Schlabach, Timothy Cox, Micheal Parker, Justin Lorentz, Dylan Harsh, Carter Smith, Devon Little, Melanie Atherton, Brooke Underwood, Bethany Underwood, Samantha McClain, Brandy Haddock, Lyndsey Davis, and Kristina Metcalf.

There were four main sessions over the weekend, “Casting our Choices”, “The Directions Available”, “Setting Out Course”, and “The Challenge”. Through these activities, they built goals that they would like to accomplish, what they can do, how to meet them, and challenging themselves to actually do it.

Throughout the weekend the members met people from other chapters, played field games, were boating, using shotguns and rifles, met the State Officers, and ended the weekend with a dance. On September 30^th the students returned back to the school with much learned from camp.… Continue reading

By Audrey Ivers, chapter reporter

On September 26^th the West Holmes FFA chapter sent 22 juniors and seniors to help with the Soil and Water Conservation District with the 5^th grade Farm Tour. The members worked closely in assisting the 5^th graders with making edible Soil Samples, guiding them throughout the farm, preparing lunches, and assisting with preparation and clean-up of the tour.

Members who attended were Liz Overholt, Matt Schlegel, Mandy Taylor, Sam Krejci, Audrey Ivers, Atlee Miller, Dustin Niehaus, Clay Armstrong, Kristi Atherton, Logan Brannon, Tawnya Eckerle, Wyatt Gardner, Megan Miller, Nichole Wagner, Kayla Bird, Brittany Crawford, Courtney Kozak, Haylee Mackey, Grayson Miller, Brittney Sigler, Gretchen Straits, and Jesse Wines.

The members who attended enjoyed the day at Tom Millers Farm, and also enjoyed spending time with the 5^th graders and the Soil and Water Conservation District Officers. We would like to thank Tom Miller and the Soil and Water Conservation District for hosting this event.… Continue reading

By Audrey Ivers, chapter reporter

During the 2012 Antique Festival, the West Holmes FFA presented a float in the youth category of the parade. Members prepared, designed, and decorated the float during study halls, lunch periods, and after school. The float consisted of corn stalks, and ribbon along with highlighted events the Chapter has done over the past year and upcoming events. The afternoon was filled with excitement and members enjoyed riding in the parade. We would like to thank the people in charge of the parade for organizing the event and for a job well done.… Continue reading

Do you know how many high school students have never carved a Pumpkin? The answer is many, so the Big Walnut DACC FFA Chapter decided it would be a good experience to learn about and carve pumpkins at this time of year.

Members spent time in class designing, prepping and cutting out their jack-o-lanterns as well as learning about how pumpkins are produced. They also learned about the idea of Agro-tourism, and how pumpkin patches are a great example of how Agriculture can be used to bring people to visit farms.

A collaborative effort with the foods classes also allowed students to harvest the insides and be able to see how the entire pumpkin can be used. Pumpkins were then donated and taken home by students to display for the Halloween season.

A huge THANK YOU goes to Lehner’s Pumpkin Farm in Radnor, Ohio for donating the pumpkins for this activity.… Continue reading

On Sept. 28, 2012 the Shelby FFA held their annual field day. The public was invited to take a tour of the new ag barn and to learn about all the different varieties of beans and corn raised on the FFA’s test plots.

Speeches were given on the different varieties of crops by Loretta Vogt, Alaina Lucius, Brianna Gwirtz and Alex Hill. The FFA provided a lunch to all the visitors that included burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, chips, and cookies, all prepared by Shelby FFA members.… Continue reading

On Tuesday, October 2^nd the Big Walnut FFA Officer Team attended the District 6 Fall Leadership Training held at the Delaware Area Career Center North Campus. Chapters from the surrounding counties came to learn how to use their leadership skills to motivate others as well as what they should be doing in their perspective offices.

The officers go to interact with other FFA members throughout the district and each officer team got to create their own “pizza” to represent how each of the officers fit into the overall success of the FFA Chapter. One thing many of them enjoyed was the scavenger hunt at the end of the meeting. It was a great way to get to know other members that were in attendance.

Among all the activities and leadership sessions the officers were engaged in, they were also given new activities to bring back to their own chapter to help make it successful.… Continue reading

On Sept. 20, Hiland FFA members competed in the District 8 Urban Soils judging contest. Members who participated in this was Mac Cordle, Grant Mast, Taylor Raber and Kenny Clark.

The contest was held in Muskinghum county. The contest is designed for students to evaluate the land and also the soil to see if it is good enough to use for urban uses such as for a home site, roads, and recreational purposes.

During the contest students judged 3 soil pits, knowledge base test on urban soils, and soil survey book test. Placings are as follows: Mac 9th, Grant 11th, Taylor 22nd, and Kenny 26th. The team placed 6th overall.… Continue reading

By Katelyne Ackley, chapter reporter

On October 10, 2012 the Benjamin Logan FFA Officer Team visited Ohio High Point, where they hosted an Administrative Dinner. This dinner included Riverside, Indian Lake and Ohio High Point FFA members, and the administration of each school. Members recognized many different people that have helped spread the word about our FFA Chapters. This dinner allowed FFA members show their appreciation to the people that make a huge impact on our school. Katelyne Ackley Benjamin Logan FFA Reporter and District Six Reporter presented a speech “We each have different Roles” explaining that as a chapter we wouldn’t achieve our goals without the support of our administration. Members present were: Jessica Skidmore, Tyler Myers, Troy Selhorst, Ashley Wilson, Taylor Miller, Holly Parker, Erik Weeks, Hayden Ackley and Katelyne Ackley.… Continue reading