National FFA Week: Looking Back & Looking Forward

Happy National FFA Week everyone!

 

Whether you were an FFA member or not, this week is special in that people across the country are all celebrating American Agriculture and the continuing of educating our youth about it. For those of us who were always extremely involved in our home chapter’s FFA Week activities, this week can serve as a sad reality that yes, “I really am growing up.” We went from one year leading multiple philanthropy events, fundraisers, and workshops, to studying for the next test and making it through the first year of college. The first year I spent this week as a college student, there was a feeling of disconnect.  I felt like I was losing a part of myself since FFA was gone. I decided my friends at school didn’t understand, and that there was nothing that could fill that hole being an FFA member left behind. I couldn’t have been more wrong. For all of you new college students dwelling in what FFA and 4-H “was” for you, I’m here to tell you what they still ARE for you.

1.      It’s not actually over.

No, you can’t compete in Parliamentary procedure anymore or go to monthly meetings, but there are a lot of things you still can do as a college student. For FFA members, you are still eligible to show livestock, submit Supervised Agricultural Experience Proficiencies (SAEs) and apply for your American Degree. For 4-H members you can still attend State Conference, show at your county fair one more time, and be a Teen Leader at 4-H camp. There are always more activities to participate in just talk to your county agent or advisor and keep going!

2.      Become an active alumni.

Wow, that word made you feel old right? Well as much as I hate to say it, the day you graduated high school you became the alum of numerous organizations. But push away that negative connotation of the word and look at it just like a milestone- a sign of hard work to become the person you are today who will accomplish great things. Being an alumni is your chance to give back and help those after you have the opportunities you had. Even if you’re the definition of a broke college student, find a way to give back whenever you can. Send an encouraging text, stop by a practice when you are in for a weekend, or even volunteer with another chapter or extension office.  Anything you do will mean something to those members, teachers and agents.

3.      Join something new.

College gives us the opportunity to not only expand on what we enjoyed in high school but also to really find out more about ourselves. So maybe your college doesn’t have Collegiate 4-H or FFA. Joining organizations that aren’t identical to the clubs you were a part of in high school gives you the chance to find new interests and find that group of people that can be your support group and feel like family, just like you have had in years past.

4.      Share what you have gained.

You know how you can’t stop talking about all the awesome things FFA did for you or how you wouldn’t be the person you are today without 4-H? Well why not share this with others. Those new organizations you are joining are looking for passionate, hard working and strong willed people just like you to get active in their club and take future leadership positions. Why mope about what you miss when you can start planning for what you are going to implement to make your new organization even better? Be that active new member who isn’t afraid to speak up in front of the group and can work with any team. You’ll be amazed at how much joy can be attained just by finding your place and sharing your ideas. 

5.      Become an AGvocate.

Okay... the play on words may be cheesy, but the longer you are in college the more you will understand the increasing need for more of these. AGvocates are those that simply advocate for the agricultural industry. This seems like a quite a job for just a college 19-20 year old student but our voice is more important than you know. It’s the small things that can make the biggest difference. Using social media to highlight the positive side of our industry, such as posting pictures of feeding hay or tweeting about vaccinating your weaned pigs, every little bit helps. We don’t have to inform the world about agriculture all at once. We can start with our peers, the future consumers, and work our way up from there.  Use social media to also learn how others are being Agvocates and share others' experiences.    

I hope these tips help you to make it through National FFA Week with a more positive and enthusiastic outlook. Remember the more involved and immersed you get within your college and organizations the better your overall experience will be. The National FFA Organization and 4-H have given you these skills and experiences for you to share with others- don’t let them down!

Renee is a sophomore from Princeton, Kentucky and is studying Agricultural Economics.  She was involved in FFA and other activities in high school, and has involved herself as a CAFE Ambassador, a member of Sigma Alpha, Block and Bridle and other activities at UK.  

The importance of tradition in communities

Kentucky is a very diverse state; rich in agriculture, art, history, music, outdoors, and most importantly traditions. The two most common traditions in Kentucky are Kentucky Basketball and the Kentucky Derby; whether in the big city of Louisville, Kentucky or the small town of Falmouth, Kentucky throughout the 120 counties in the commonwealth tradition is a large part of unifying counties across the state.

Annual festivals and parades play a huge role in community, small or large.  As someone from a small county in Northern, Kentucky the Kentucky Wool Festival is one of the biggest events that happens in our county.  Every first weekend in October, during the transition between late summer and early fall, the Kentucky Wool Festival occurs; a weekend of bluegrass, crafts, food, and wool.   The Kentucky Wool Festival is one big reunion- not only bringing back Pendleton County High School alumni who have moved away, but also bringing in annual festival enthusiast from across the country.  From a community and economic development perspective, the Kentucky Wool Festival is the perfect way to promote the small town fell, but also the modernism of Pendleton County. Many church groups, school clubs, extension organizations and other organizations in the county set up booths to promote their organizations as well as fundraise for the year.  As far back as I can remember, every year at the Wool Fest I have worked the 4-H drink booth as a fundraiser for the Pendleton County 4-H Council.  The high school band parks car, the county FFA chapter cleans the grounds and empties trash cans, the high school student council sells ice cream, the county homemakers sells funnel cake, the county Chamber of Commerce sells breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the county’s Lions Club works the entry gate, local gospel singing groups come and sing on Sunday afternoon, other local bands come and play on Friday and Saturday night, many craft vendors come and set up booths, and it’s not a Wool Fest until you sheer a sheep and visit the wool spinners . Traditions like the Kentucky Wool Festival truly bring together a small county.

Pendleton County is one of those counties where you drive through it and blink, you might miss it so having an event that brings in people from all over the country is, in lack of a better word, cool! Now I know I am little bias to this particular festival, but I have spent the past 20 Octobers at the Wool Fest and don’t plan on breaking that tradition, but there are many other festivals all across the bluegrass.  My roommates and I have had conversations about our county festivals; one roommate is from Casey County, Kentucky and Casey County has an apple festival and another roommate is from LaRue County, Kentucky and Larue County has a tradition called Lincoln Days. Some other festivals across the state are: the Watermelon Festival in Monroe County, Kentucky, the Sorgum Festival in Morgan County, Kentucky, the World’s Largest Chicken Festival in London, Kentucky, the International Bar-B-Q Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky, and the Ghoetta Festival in Newport, Kentucky.

No matter what small town or big city you come from in Kentucky, tradition plays a huge role in bringing communities together.  I could not imagine my fall without attending the Kentucky Wool Festival and I am sure I can speak for county residents from any of the county festivals mentioned above in saying they could not imagine their lives without the tradition of county festivals.

                

Kelsey is a junior majoring in Community and Leadership Development.  She is from Butler, Kentucky.

It’s always a good time in the COA

I "CatPaw" UK Ag!

April 18, 2013 marked a very eventful day in the UK College of Agriculture, as not one, but two incredible events took place, extending from Commonwealth stadium to the E.S. Goodbarn, and even across Cooper to the Seay Auditorium in Ag. North. UK Field Day was first to the plate, including hundreds of agriculturally-minded students in FFA and/or 4H from all over the state that were prepped and anxious to gain the competitive edge over the other contestants. Events included livestock judging, weed and seed identification, tractor driving, auctioneering, and much more. Between the competitions, the high school students enjoyed some pretty tasty burgers and were able to learn about the numerous opportunities available to them in the College of Agriculture if, or hopefully when, they become freshmen at UK. The event was a huge success for both the college and the visiting schools.

Next up to bat was the annual Ag. Bash, sponsored by the Ag. Student Council and the UK SGA. The event was open to any and all students in the college, and the first 100 students that made a donation to the Ronald McDonald House received a pretty swanky lime green UK Ag. T-shirt. Not to mention, food was in full array, including donations from Chipotle, Qdoba, Wal-Mart, Subway, Cane’s, and the infamous Ale-8. The ginormous steak burrito I enjoyed sure did hit the spot! Also, the entertainment for the event was incredible, featuring the Brown Brothers Band, who sure knew how to get your feet tappin’ and your hands clappin’. It was such a fun event, and the company wasn’t too shabby, either!  Here's a video of the last song as some Ag Student Council members celebrated!

One of the best parts of the College of Agriculture is that days like this are not a rarity. In fact, it’s more of a rarity when there isn’t a campus event going on during the week. This makes for one of the coolest atmospheres on the campus, where every student is passionate about their futures and look forward to networking and taking leadership roles on a weekly basis, not just every now and then. Being a sophomore, I now realize why I have had such a successful past two years here at UK--it’s all about the people I’m constantly surrounded by and the opportunities presented to me by the college. I never thought in a hundred years that I would be giving tours to prospective students or representing the college as a senator for student government. I am beyond amazed where the College of Agriculture has taken me thus far, and how many awesome opportunities are available to us if we merely open our eyes to them. 

What gets me the most excited is realizing that I still have two whole years to be an ag. student, and there’s no limit to what I can accomplish during the time.

Alex is a sophomore majoring in Agricultural Biotechnology and is also pre-med.  He is from Eddyville, Kentucky.

August is Pretty Much Kentucky's Best Month (tied closely with 11 other ones)

It’s August.  That means two things in Kentucky that are near and dear to me: the Kentucky State Fair and the start of UK’s fall semester.

The KY State Fair Bears

I’ve been going to the Kentucky State Fair since I was a child.  I remember the smell of the food stands, the obligatory picture with Fair and Faira Bear (which I loved), riding a few rides, walking through the livestock barns to visit people we knew, and going to 4-H Cloverville to check out how my 4-H projects did.  The Kentucky State Fair has been in business since 1902 and is one of the best (well….best in my opinion) fairs in the country.  Being a 4-H member, it was a pilgrimage making the trip from Monroe County to Louisville to see how my entomology project had done, how was our tobacco entry compared to others across the state, or if my brother’s woodworking project  got a blue ribbon.  We loved our time in Cloverville, but the fair was always about celebrating this great state: our food, our culture and heritage, our talents, and for a young 4-H or FFA member, our dreams.  The fair is a great melting pot for our diverse state.  No matter if you are from Paintsville or Princeton, Tompkinsville or Covington (this was a really hard decision to pick four city names), we are all proud citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for the next few weeks- and beyond.  The fair runs August 16-26 and I hope you have plans to attend.  Check out their website to plan your visit and see the wonders that are the State Fair.  I’ll be there with my Kentucky bells on.

August also means that it’s time for classes to begin at the University of Kentucky, and other colleges, too.  One of my favorite sounds is the Wildcat marching band practicing the UK Fight Song across campus on Stoll Field.  On a good day, like yesterday, I could hear it when I went home from work.  Classes begin here August 22^nd and campus is abuzz with students here for sorority recruitment, RA training, and now K-Week.  If you don’t know what K-Week is, do yourself a favor and check out their website.  The basic gist of this week is that it is the OFFICIAL orientation to being a Wildcat wrapped into over 200 events and sets the stage for a truly great year.  There’s free food for days.  One student told me that if you paid for food during K-Week, you weren’t doing something right- and I totally agree.  We are having New Student Orientation on Tuesday, August 21 at 1:30 PM in Seay Auditorium of the Ag North Building.  If you are one of our incoming students into the College and reading this, you will want to be there.  You can meet faculty and staff, students and even the Dean.  With the start of classes also means football season and the excitement of the fall semester.   

We’ll leave all of that excitement for another post.  Keep on rocking in the free world.....

- Jason Headrick

Jason Headrick is the director of student relations in the UK College of Agriculture.  He works with prospective students & families with admissions and the college selection process.  His email address is jason.headrick@uky.edu.