AG Students Attend FFA National Convention
The 17 hour bus ride from Lincoln, Nebraska to Louisville, Kentucky was worth it, if you ask any of the Ashland students who attended the National FFA Leadership Convention – which took place from October 30th through November 2nd. The convention’s theme was “Ignite FFA”, and to say that the record-breaking number of attendees from all states – over 56,000 members – were ‘fired up’ would be an understatement. 8 students from Ashland attended the convention: Cody Campbell, John Gray, Elizabeth Yunker, Carly Fangman, Nevada Smith, Angelica Metzger, Claire Thomas, and Marisa Rogers.
The Ashland students attended a workshop on how to advocate for agriculture. This workshop examined the way that agriculture is perceived by the general public and how to change the perspective of those who are not regularly exposed to agriculture. The Ashland group also received a tour of the Louisville Slugger Factory. The tour demonstrated how bats are made and the evolution of the bat-making process throughout the years of baseball. It also showed different types of bats and the machines used to create them. The factory receives shipments of billets, cylinders of wood cut from trees, and then the billets are shaved by machines to form the shape of the bat.
At the last session, previous Ashland student Matthew Treadway walked across the stage to receive his American Degree, the highest degree available in FFA. This degree requires years of Supervised Agricultural Experience records, complete 50 hours of community service, and earn $7500 in an agricultural job.
