Jefferson Somerset FFA, reviving a lost program

Kathrine Alderman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Though not technically a new program at Jefferson Somerset, the FFA program there has recently been revived. Jefferson had an FFA program in the past, but it was disbanded shortly before Somerset came into the picture. Stefanie Prevatt, the Ag teacher at Jefferson Somerset and the current FFA instructor, has been working to revive and rebuild the program. They started the chapter in January of last year, but, sadly, right after, the world shut down due to COVID-19. So, they've only recently been able to really start working on it.
The club currently has 14 members. To be an FFA member, you do have to be taking an Ag class, as FFA is more of a supplement to extend the learning you receive in class. There are three areas that they focus on in the club to help supplement their Ag class, community service, leadership and career development events.

Back in November, the club hosted a canned food drive for Farm-City Week. Their goal was 500 non-perishable food items, but they ended up raising about 1,550 cans! All of the non-perishables the FFA collected, they donated to the senior center. Not only did it help further the community service aspect that FFA tries to sponsor, but it was also an excellent way to get their name out there and let the community know that FFA is back in business.

They are currently working on a career development event (CDE) in floriculture. They can use equipment that florists would use, and the students are memorizing the tools and plants' names, both their Latin names and their common names. They also are learning how people in the florist industry price their goods.

The goal with CDE's such as this is to hopefully spark interest in a future in that career. Though they focus on helping the students develop leadership skills first, they then focus on different careers that they could go into. Prevatt says that it's her job to make connections with locals involved with the Ag industry, as the students gain the most when they can see people working in the industry. She wants them to know that Ag is more than just farming, that it can go all the way up to the communications aspect of it. There are many different jobs all associated with the Ag business. Prevatt wants to teach her members that, even though farming is an integral part of the business, it isn't the only part.
Another thing on FFA's upcoming agenda, along with the floriculture CDE, is hosting an Ag literacy day for elementary students. The FFA members will be the ones organizing the event, doing things such as matching volunteers to classes. Generally, the way Ag literacy day would work is FFA would get volunteers to speak to the elementary classes in person about something to do with the Ag business. This year, due to COVID-19, they aren't sure if this will be how they can go about it this year, and it may be held over zoom instead. Even though the exact way Ag literacy day will be held is still in the works, the FFA is looking for any volunteers that would like to participate in the event and talk to the elementary students about what they do. It is meant to increase the understanding of where our food comes from and teach the kids about Ag products. The FFA members doing most of the organizing is an excellent way for them to build their leadership and event management skills.
Prevatt isn't just looking for volunteers to help with Ag literacy day, though. Even though she is an Ag person, her background was in 4-H, not FFA, so she has had to learn a lot, as she tries to give the students at Jefferson Somerset a great FFA experience. So, if anyone with a background in FFA would like to assist her, she would love the help.

Though this is more of the Ag class side than the FFA side of things, the Ag class has 6 bed raised gardens and is in the process of purchasing a greenhouse. They are also looking at possibly purchasing a chicken coop. They now have an agriculture lab up and running, as well, thanks to the generous donations of Lloyd Monroe and his family, in memory of his father Danny Monroe III.
The FFA program at Jefferson Somerset is still new and getting on its feet, but it wouldn't be where it is now without help from members of the local Ag and FFA community. Hopefully, it will continue to grow and help teach the youth here in Jefferson County about leadership, community service and careers in the Ag industry.