Local FFA chapters hold vo-ag showcase
Bethany Brownlee, a McGuffey High School junior, stands in front of a covered wagon she built for an agricultural education project. Brownlee completed the wagon in three months, and a team of horses pulled it from Claysville to Scenery Hill during Pike Days.
Allana McCoy, a senior at Trinity High School, shows her blue mini-lop rabbit, Elmo, during Beyond the Blue. McCoy participates in showmanship competitions with Elmo. She is a member of Trinity’s FFA chapter, which has more than 70 members.
Stavros Alexas, a junior FFA member at McGuffey High School, discusses welding during the student exhibit portion of Beyond the Blue, an event, hosted by McGuffey, that showcased agricultural education in local schools.
Plenty of iconic blue corduroy Future Farmers of America jackets could be spotted at McGuffey High School Tuesday at an event showcasing Washington County agricultural education and FFA programs.
“Beyond the Blue Jacket,” hosted by McGuffey High School and organized by McGuffey, Fort Cherry and Trinity FFA chapters, featured keynote speaker Scott Sheely, special assistant for workforce development at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, who talked about job growth and changes in the agriculture industry. The morning-long event concluded with a student presentation that included exhibits and projects completed by vo-ag students.
Sheely forecasts more than 75,000 agriculture job openings in the next 10 to 20 years, but anticipates a shortage of workers to fill those jobs.
The jobs won’t only be traditional jobs like agronomy, but will include food processing and packaging and mechanics. Among the jobs in demand are farm managers, farm equipment mechanics, service technicians, butchers and veterinarians.
More than 150 high schools throughout the state offer vo-ag programs to their students, according to Sheely.
Nearly 300 students participate in the three Washington County agricultural education programs.
McGuffey Superintendent Dr. Erica Kolat said vo-ag is the longest-running STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) program in the district, and the general agriculture program offers students a variety of experiences including greenhouse production, agriculture conservation and natural resources, landscape design, veterinary science and agriculture leadership.
The school district last year expanded its vo-ag program and hired a second teacher, John Leasure, who teaches agricultural mechanics, which includes classes in welding and small gas engines.
Next year, the district will build greenhouses at Joe Walker and Claysville elementary schools that will be used year-round, and eighth-graders will have an opportunity to take an introduction to agriculture course.
Kolat said when a student became interested in preserving the declining population of honeybees, McGuffey teacher Renee Cambruzzi, along with Leasure, secured a grant to house beehives, purchase equipment to maintain an estimated 80,000 honeybees and buy seeds for flowers that were planted near the hives.
Cambruzzi also secured a Food for All grant, which supported a yearlong service learning program to assist local families with food, along with nutrition education.
“At a time when fiscal challenges impact the longevity of many programs, McGuffey remains committed to our vo-ag program and the STEAM experiences that prepare students for the future college or career experiences that they choose,” said Kolat. “Agriculture education remains a significant part of how we educate students at McGuffey.”
Agriculture remains the largest employer in Pennsylvania, noted Jodie Hoover, Fort Cherry High School vocational agriculture teacher, who said, “There’s a bright future for anyone in vo-ag.”
Cambruzzi said McGuffey is the second-largest rural school district in Pennsylvania, and the vo-ag program includes more than 110 students.
“It’s important for these students to gain hands-on knowledge and hands-on skills, regardless of whether they go to a two-year school or on to a four-year college. We also have students who go straight into the labor field, in contruction and other jobs,” said Cambruzzi.
While many area vo-ag students live on farms or have family members involved in farming, agriculture isn’t just drawing “farm kids” these days. It is a legitimate career choice for urban, suburban and non-farm students.
“One of my favorite phrases is, ‘If you ate today, thank a farmer,'” said state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township.
Sheely said the future is bright for agriculture, but the industry is having the most trouble filling middle-level jobs.
“The middle tier is where the STEAM skills and knowledge come into play. We need the scientists and the engineers, but it seems that middle level is the one where we have the most issues,” said Sheely.
Sheely said the Department of Agriculture is developing microcredentials – short-term courses that teach specific skills and offer academic credits – and competency-based apprenticeships to meet industry needs.
Ryan Yoest, a McGuffey High School and Penn State University graduate, owns Yoest Feed & Farm Supply in Claysville, and credits the FFA and ag ed program for influencing his career path.
“I was involved with the FFA program for four years, and it taught us a lot of management skills, public speaking skills, and it really got me to where I was going later on in life,” said Yoest, who serves on McGuffey’s FFA advisory board. “There’s a lot more to farming that driving a tractor and planting corn. Now, I run a feed and farm supply business, which has tripled within the last three years, and I believe this program got me started.”