FFA Week: Charles City FFA members are celebrating their week

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City FFA members are eager to demonstrate all the organization has to offer during this FFA Week, Feb. 18 to 25th.

Throughout the week, FFA students are hosting a range of activities, including serving up root beer floats, holding radio interviews and hosting a teacher appreciation breakfast. Contests and a bowling party are also on the schedule.

“It’s kind of how we sell FFA to other students in the school,” said FFA President Zach Chambers. “It’s a good, fun week.”

Chambers, a senior and “100% farm kid,” has been a lifelong FFA member and looks fondly on his time with the organization as he approaches graduation.

Earlier this month, the crew traveled to Des Moines for the Iowa Pork Producers Swine Evaluation Contest, observing the judging process and learning what to look for when the kids select their own livestock for competition.

Learning to raise cows and pigs to show off at the county fair is far from the only activity that FFA accommodates. Chambers said he wants to use the week to demonstrate the wide variety of activities that students in FFA can become involved in.

So far this year the school’s FFA students have toured the state Capitol to learn about the legislative process, met with area industrial leaders to discuss career opportunities, and hosted a pork loin dinner for the community.

Recently the students made their annual trip to the Cedar Valley Produce Auction in Alma, looking for deals on items to put in their greenhouse.

Chambers said he is focusing on ag sales this year, using sales techniques to go through the process of selling a storage unit.

“I’m bringing a lot of transferable skills out into the real world,” he said.

While some FFA members are “100% farm kids,” members and advisors say they want to make sure that the “city kids” know they are welcome as well.

“It’s been really fun,” said Bryce Walker, who recently joined FFA to be on the meetings team to learn the procedures and conduct of organized meetings. Walker’s FFA journey has already taken him to DMACC for an FFA event to interact with other students.

“It helped me meet new people and see new things,” he said.

Much of the credit for the students’ enthusiasm for FFA goes to their teachers, Bret Spurgin and Jim Lundberg, who they say have been very proactive in finding a place for them in FFA and encouraging them to try new things.

“Both of them have really helped people that aren’t necessarily involved in agriculture to get involved,” said Taylor Quade, who was elected last week as a North Central District FFA officer. “We really appreciate what they’ve done for us.”

“He really pushed me to practice every single day,” said Ava Molitor, who, as Creed Speaker, has memorized and publicly recites the FFA Creed. “I’ve been coming in every Thursday after school working on it.”