A local Future Farmers of America member became the first-ever
Hollister resident to become the national winner of the Agriculture
Mechanics Repair and Maintenance Placement Proficiency award during
the FFA convention in Kentucky last week.
Hollister – A local Future Farmers of America member became the first-ever Hollister resident to become the national winner of the Agriculture Mechanics Repair and Maintenance Placement Proficiency award during the FFA convention in Kentucky last week.
Ryan Bergamini, 19, who grew up working on his family’s walnut orchard in Hollister, competed against FFA members throughout the country in the award program, which was sponsored by Cummins, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of power generation equipment. After interviewing with a panel of judges, he was selected as the nation’s top FFA mechanic.
“It was an honor,” he said Friday. “This is a first for the Hollister-San Benito FFA.”
Experience was a key factor in securing the top spot, he said.
“A lot of kids didn’t have the experience that I had,” he said. “And I’ve always done well under pressure.”
Bergamini, who is pursuing a degree in mechanized agriculture at Reedley College, discovered his mechanical talent working with his father. A degree in mechanized agriculture includes studying welding, hydraulics, operating agricultural equipment and the fundamentals of electrical systems.
“My dad got me started, he took a lot of pride in his equipment,” he said. “I just took it to the next level.”
In addition to pursuing a college degree, Bergamini also works for Caterpillar, Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and gas turbines.
For Bergamini, the skills needed to work on farm equipment came almost effortlessly.
“It came naturally,” he said. “I just started tearing stuff apart and my dad was always there to help me put it back together.”
Although he plans to spend many years with Caterpillar, Bergamini hopes to one day open his own farm equipment service and repair business in Hollister.
Bergamini is proud of his achievement, but credits a lot of his success to his family, FFA advisers and the San Benito County Farm Bureau. His mother, Nancy Bergamini-Lomanto, was left speechless when her son was announced the winner in front of 50,000 people at the 78th National FFA Convention.
“After five years of FFA, this is like the pinnacle of his career,” she said. “He has worked very hard.”
Kelly Bianchi, Bergamini’s FFA adviser during his senior year at San Benito High School, said Bergamini definitely deserved the honor.
“He’s very hard working,” she said. “We’ve had state winners and national finalists, but we’ve never had a national winner.”
