FFA - any former members out there?

[JethroB]

Any former FFA (Future Farmers of America) out there? What were your projects, when, where, etc.?

I was in FFA in the deep southeast in the mid 1970s. We called it taking Ag or shop in high school. I grew several acres of feed corn for three years. Slow going cultivating two rows at a time with a 8N Ford or later a MF 135.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Was a member from '53 through '55. I raised some show hogs...Berkshire. I lived in the country, but I didn't live on a farm, so that was about the best I could manage.

 

[homesteader13]

Any former FFA (Future Farmers of America) out there? What were your projects, when, where, etc.?

I was in FFA in the deep southeast in the mid 1970s. We called it taking Ag or shop in high school. I grew several acres of feed corn for three years. Slow going cultivating two rows at a time with a 8N Ford or later a MF 135.

We had FFA in high school, mid, late 80's, it had many appendages, the girls mostly gravitated to the cattle and hogs, the guys mostly to the shop end as in welding, mechanical, we restored and sold Ford 4n and 8 tractors I believe they were, and sold them to fund the shop. We also got to take our own vehicles in to restore and rebuild /customiize.
And all involved had agriculture education and filed trips to dairies, and crop growing experiments. (In retrospect now realize that a lot of them were funded by Monsanto **** them to ****!)

 

[bindian]

I was in FFA and Ag shop from 72-76 at Klein High School. I raised wethers and fryer and breeding rabbits. Did very well with them. Everyone had to have an animal project. One of my friends was Chairman of the Show Committee. I was Assistant Chair. We had huge project shows and auctions. We sold South Texas oranges and grapefruit in the winter for fundraising. I made it up to Lone Star farmer. That is state farmer. I was on the Range & Pasture judging team and the Forestry judging team. Loved it all. My Ag co-op teacher nominated me for Who's Who in American High School Students for 1976.

My senior year, I was in Ag co-op, where I went to class half a day and worked half a day. My best friend and I kept the grounds around the High school trimmed and neat. Cool thing about that was, we could go where other students were not allowed. My other two friends and co-op classmates worked at two different elementary schools nearby. We all worked together hauling mulch, in his pickup, for the 3 schools flower beds. We had a blast doing that. During our summers, we were all on the same mowing crews around the schools in the district.

Awwweeeeeee...................Good times for sure.
hugs, Brandi

 

[2LaneCruzer]

The thing I remember best was our annual mountain oyster fry. We got "points" for castrating farm animals, and even more for cleaning the oysters...peeling, and soaking overnight in salt water and freezing them. Then in September, we would camp out and fry them over an open fire. The Chapter had some huge iron skillets, and a good time was had by all. They were absolutely superb. Nearest thing I have eaten since, is at the Big Texan in Amarillo.

 

[LouNY]

Any former FFA (Future Farmers of America) out there? What were your projects, when, where, etc.?

I was in FFA in the deep southeast in the mid 1970s. We called it taking Ag or shop in high school. I grew several acres of feed corn for three years. Slow going cultivating two rows at a time with a 8N Ford or later a MF 135.

Yes, I was a member while in school from around 66-70. We had Ag class, also an ag shop class and a regular shop class but the FFA was completely separate from the school classes.
We didn't have any projects per say although some did various things, as an example I did milk testing for our farm.
That involved weighing the milk from every cow twice a day once a month and drawing a small sample which I would take to school and perform the butterfat testing and solids content.
My last year was the first year that we allowed girls in,
now days it seems like the girls are in the majority.

 

[JethroB]

Was a member from '53 through '55. I raised some show hogs...Berkshire. I lived in the country, but I didn't live on a farm, so that was about the best I could manage.

Raising a hog was probably the most popular FFA project at our rural school. Many local farmers had small hog operations as a sideline and would sell the ‘pick of the litter’ to students (all boys back then, the girls were in FHA, ah sexism). Lots of jury rigged pens would be built in back yards using scrap lumber, pallets, and rusty barn tin. The December judging and following auction was a major event allowing kids to skip school for a day. Local businesses bid & bought the hogs at inflated prices and the nearby Swift pork slaughter plant would take them off their hands. It was a good way to make a little Christmas money. Lots of theories on how to fatten them up quickly in their final days, including raw eggs and adding rock salt to the feed. I believe it backfired on them as I think the salt gave the hogs ‘the squirts’.

 

[grnspot110]

Mid-60's here, raised & showed registered Holsteins, hogs & row crops for projects.

 

[bindian]

Mid-60's here, raised & showed registered Holsteins, hogs & row crops for projects.

Did you have to milk them. My friend and his family raised show Holsteins and he always complained about having to get up early to milk them.
hugs, Brandi

 

[grnspot110]

Did you have to milk them. My friend and his family raised show Holsteins and he always complained about having to get up early to milk them.
hugs, Brandi

We milked around 20 head, but fortunately not by hand. Still get up around 6 every morning, though I've been off the farm for nearly 50 years, old habits die hard!