Picture Description: Polk County Farm Bureau Federation Speech contest
by JODY WITTER, Polk County FFA Federation President
The beginning of the year has been busy for Polk County students, from the start of the FFA Contest season to registering for fairs, there has been much to do. One week after school started, the Polk County Farm Bureau Federation held its annual youth speech contest on August 20, where many high school and middle school individuals competed, presenting their public speaking skills and dedication to personal growth. The topic for this year was “How does the Florida Farm Bureau Federation help connect youth with the agriculture industry?”
Students had a variety of explanations, like their annual event called Agrifest, where fourth-graders are introduced to the many aspects and jobs within the ag industry, and others being their certification exams through AEST to get high schoolers, and now middle schoolers more prepared for the workforce, allowing them to grow their resumes.
Within the high school division, in first place was Jessie Whitehead, and for the middle school division the winner was Emily McNutt. Both went on to place second at the District level in their respective divisions! Congratulations to both students, along with all other competitors!
Later that week several Polk County schools were able to send students to the FNGLA Trade Show on August 23 where a variety of vendors displayed their landscaping products and careers. Through this opportunity, students were exposed to the many facets of the nursery and landscaping industry. With businesses like John Deere, and growers like Butler Tree Farm, they were able to make connections and explore many different job options they likely did not know about before. One student who attended the FFA day for this trade show was Kacie Anderson from George Jenkins High School, and she said, “I loved going to the FNGLA field trip, as this is my second year, and I enjoyed being able to walk up and down aisles studying for various contests, such as Forestry and Nursery CDE. It was a good day of laughter and fun while learning different plants and lawn maintenance practices. While there, I was able to talk to workers in the industry and gain insight on new products and get educated on old ones that have been proven to be beneficial. I was able to make connections with industry professionals and grow my portfolio of knowledge.” When asked if she would recommend this experience she said absolutely!
A different side of the ag industry, through meat production is where we had another opportunity for youth to grow their skill set. At the Central Florida Youth In Agriculture Educational Day on September 14, many exhibitors arrived in hopes of walking away with a better understanding of how to care for and show their animals. With two paths available — beef production and swine production — students were taught about showmanship, feed and health protocols, as well as how to market their animals. This was a great event to further help our young showman as it was geared toward those in their first couple years of showing. Thank you to George Jenkins High School for hosting and to Central Florida Youth In Agriculture for putting on this event.
Most recently was the Opening and Closing Ceremony contest for the county, where multiple chapters got together to compete, displaying their ability to properly begin and end a meeting. It occurred September 24 at Southwest Middle School and set the mood of success for the remainder of the year. The high school chapter that won was Auburndale FFA, and the middle school chapter, which will continue to the next level, is Bok Academy North. For being the first county contest of the year, many were impressed with the dedication and successful start to the season of competition. Congratulations to the winning chapters and all who came to compete.
