The farmers of tomorrow need to know how to take care of
animals, balance accounts and understand what fruit grows during
which season. But when they are not burrowing their noses in
notebooks, they are arm-wrestling and careening down a grassy slope
in race cars made out of bathtubs. On Monday, San Benito Highs
School began its Future Farmers of America Week, filled with
contests, luncheons and, on Friday, a barn dance where a king and
queen will be crowned.
Hollister – The farmers of tomorrow need to know how to take care of animals, balance accounts and understand what fruit grows during which season. But when they are not burrowing their noses in notebooks, they are arm-wrestling and careening down a grassy slope in race cars made out of bathtubs. On Monday, San Benito Highs School began its Future Farmers of America Week, filled with contests, luncheons and, on Friday, a barn dance where a king and queen will be crowned.
The intent is to not only to celebrate San Benito County’s ag roots, but remember the vital component the industry still plays in people’s lives, said Kelly Bianchi, who heads the FFA program at the school.
“We all like to eat, wear clothes and have roofs over our heads,” said Bianchi. “Everything we do in our lives revolves around agriculture.”
About 85 students at San Benito High School take classes on ag economics, agrobiology and agricultural leadership that are meant to prepare them for potential careers in the field. The school also has a FFA farm where members learn how and what to feed animals and basic information on how to treat them if they get sick.
“It’s another avenue for them … because not everybody is going to college,” said Bianchi.
The kids in the program say they are passionate about agricultural life and want to continue working near animals after they graduate from high school. Roger Pereira, 17 and a junior at San Benito High School, plans on taking over his family farm, Pereira Dairy off Shore Road, once he finishes college. He plans on attending Cal State Fresno and majoring in dairy science and eventually helping his father, a former FFA member, run the farm.
“I’ve grown up around it and that’s what I know,” he said.
Future Farmers of America was started in Kentucky in 1928 and today has almost 500,000 members around the country. FFA Week is typically celebrated in late February, to correspond with George Washington’s birthday. That’s because in 1939, the FFA bought 28.5 acres of land in Virginia, which used to be part of the first president’s estate, said Bianchi.
Samantha Ceglia,15, another student at the high school’s program, has been involved with the Saddlehorse Show since she was five years old. After college, she plans on becoming a veterinarian specializing in equine science.
“The best part (of the week) is the barn dance,” she said. “It’s a good chance to get out and be with your friends.”
Karina Ioffee covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or ki*****@fr***********.com
