Contest highlights sustainable outlook for FFA students

Students from Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Oregon win top prizes.

Nearly 50 vocational agriculture students from 12 states entered the Rodale Institute’s first essay contest, won by an enterprising chapter officer with a strong interest in organic crops and natural habitat enhancement.

“After a visiting FFA chapter public speaking team presented their organic farming pro and con speech here, and we attended the FFA Convention last fall, we saw the strong interest among these students to engage the questions of sustainability and how organic farmers go about producing, marketing and advocating for their products,” said Maria Pop, outreach and training manqager for the Institute. “We’re already exploring how we can offer the country’s FFA students the opportunity to send in video presentations next year to address agriculture’s future in a more dynamic way.”

“We didn’t know if the excitement we saw at the convention would translate into formal writing in the iPod age, but these students came through in a great way.”

Perhaps they were interested in the prize money: $1,000 goes to the first-prize winner, $500 to the advisor; $500 to second prize, $250 to the advisor; and $300 to third place, $150 to the advisor.

Our thanks to all who encouraged these students to participate, helped them with research and most of all, helped them understand “How Can Farming Restore Human and Ecological Health?” by their own sustainable farming practices. Click here to read the rules the students were given, and here’s the winners:

James J. Howe

Oley, Pennsylvania
Oley Valley FFA Chapter
Read the essay >>

Howe just completed his senior year at Oley County High School and plans to attend Pennsylvania State University in the fall to study environmental or food science.
No stranger to organic farms, Howe works with neighbors and community members that farm organically, stating “it’s a great way to really get to know your community.” James has also worked with the Pennsylvania State Game Commission for one of his FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, helping to provide habitats for endangered bats. He is an active public speaker and served as FFA chapter President as a junior and Vice President during his senior year.

James entered the essay contest because he thought he could turn the topic into a speech, and as he did research he was intrigued by “what farmers think they know versus what they really know” about the relationship between agriculture and the environment. He is passionate about how “agriculture is the cause of so much pollution, but can also fix the problem,” and spends much of his time working on conservation efforts and projects locally. He also enjoys hunting and trapping, noting the importance of organic practices in creating healthy natural habitats for all living things.

For James, who hopes to someday be an environmental chemist or food inspector with a small farm on the side, the key to connecting the American public with agricultural values is to “promote and protect agriculture’s importance.”

Juliana White

Yancyville, North Carolina
Bartlett-Yancey FFA chapter
Read the essay >>

White served as chapter vice president during her senior year just completed this week, and is heading to North Carolina State University this fall to major in international studies.
She credits the speaking responsibilities that came with her committee chair, junior officer and vice president roles, as well as her work in prepared public speaking judging contests. She researched and prepared speeches of five to seven minutes in length that she presented to judges. This was excellent practice at taking “big ideas and putting them in small packages” that she believes will help her in the workplace.

White said her own organic lifestyle and her family’s organic gardening gave her a strong interest in the essay topic. Her FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience is organic gardening. She planted and harvested organic vegetables on the farm and also assisted at the high school organic garden for four years. Her additional research showed her the strong benefits of organic agriculture for farmers, for the people who eat the food, and the environment. She recalls the “astounding statistic” that organic food can be 50 to 50 percent healthier in some instances, and has few flaws other than price, in some instances.

In communicating with her peers about her experience with agriculture, she focuses on making good eating choices practical. “Organic foods are not a far-off concept, and it’s not elitist to want organic foods….If people just get a bit of knowledge, they’re open to it.” 

Sierra Bretz

Silverton, Oregon
Silverton FFA Chapter
Read the essay >>

Bretz, a sophomore, cites her enjoyment of writing as the primary motivation for entering the essay contest. An active member of her FFA chapter, she participates in dairy judging and job interviewing competitions, recently helping with animal displays for “FFA Days.”

An avid soccer player, Bretz volunteers her time coaching little league soccer in addition to her school and FFA responsibilities. While working on her essay, she was “shocked at the decline” of health in the United States, specifically obesity rates. Her career goals include attending Oregon State University and becoming a veterinarian. She understands the importance of environmental concerns faced by veterinarians, and emphasizing how livestock must eat high-quality, non-chemically enhanced feed in order to optimize nutrition.

Sierra thinks it’s important to educate the public about the vital links between agriculture and global warming and speaks with many of her peers about the severe effects facing our food system’s future, emphasizing there is “so much work” to be done.

We at Rodale Institute salute these winners, and wish them well in exploring their own contribution to health through agriculture.