Page 22 - CFAN_Mar2014

agriyouth
FEATURE |

The Farm Bureau partners with

University of Florida/Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)

Extension in Polk County, the Polk County
Youth Fair, and others to teach agriculture

basics at Agri-Fest for some 6,000 fourth-
graders every year.

“Farmers and ranchers have to be

tenacious by nature, because each year is
a calculated risk. There are no guarantees

on how the weather, the market, or pests
and disease will treat farms each year, and

Cultivating
it’s always something,” McKenzie observes.
There is a huge character building lesson

in that about courage and perseverance.”
4-H builds life skills. “Here’s an
Character in
educational tool where the kids don’t have

to mold themselves to the program. The Our
programmoldsitselftofitthekid,”explains
Agri
Nicole Walker, 4-H youth /community
development director of Polk County’s
Youth
UF/IFAS Extension. Growing something
teaches responsibility. “Whether they’re

going to grow something, or they’re going
4-H LEADERS
to raise something, if they don’t take care

Nicole Walker of it, it will die,” she points out.
(left) and Amanda
Children can learn about a wide range
Squitieri are two of of skills, however. Walker spends a lot
the many local ex-
of her time working with neighborhood
perts on a mission associations and church groups to form
to help cultivate
new 4-H chapters. With some 95,000
our leaders of school-age children in Polk, there is plenty

tomorrow. photo of room for growth.
T
by PEZZIMENTI
Meanwhile, the FFA expands on

agriculture instruction in the classroom.
“I’m a product of the FFA and the

agriculture classroom. What I’ve found is

the skills and the knowledge that’s taught
through FFA, and ag helps to make those
Why 4-H, FFA,
academic subjects more concrete,” says
Paul Webb, who supervises Polk County’s is to reach them at a young age and share Training tomorrow’s leaders is a big
and Other
FFA chapters and volunteers on the Youth with them the lifestyle that accompanies job. But working together, Agri-Fest, 4-H,
Fair board of directors and executive food production,” says Carole McKenzie, Programs Are and the National FFA Organization—

board. “We’re reaching kids where they Polk County Farm Bureau’s executive along with countless volunteers—are
want to be.” FFA serves about 3,000 director. “The duty that falls upon growers More than Just doing their part to cultivate character in

students in the sixth through 12th grades, and ranchers to feed the world is a huge the next generation.
Ag Projects
or about 60 percent of the ag students, responsibility. You can’t do that without Each in their own style, the groups
Webb shares.
character. We can demonstrate to them teach children more than just where their
by CHERYL ROGERS
continued on PAGE 24 the value of hard work and determination.”
food comes from. “The goal of Agri-Fest

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