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Missouri Ag News Headlines
College of the Ozarks Hosts Annual FFA Workshop
Missouri Ag Connection - 03/23/2023

The agriculture department hosted its annual Future Farmers of America Workshop. High school students from all over Missouri and Arkansas attended the workshop.

This workshop is an opportunity for high school FFA students to develop their critical thinking and leadership skills while sharpening their contest abilities. Throughout the workshop, College of the Ozarks students shared the knowledge and skills they have gained through their education and work experiences on campus. College of the Ozarks students also served as judges and proctors for the events. The goal was to create an interactive experience that would teach practical skills and challenge the FFA students’ knowledge. They participated in a variety of workshops and contests such as agronomy, dairy cattle, livestock evaluation, dairy foods, floriculture, entomology, meats, soils, poultry, forestry, landscaping, horse evaluation, and various speech and presentation events.

The student workers and supervisors of the beef farm, hog farm, processing plant, agronomy, feed mill, and garden workstations collaborated to make the FFA Workshop successful.

“The FFA Workshop was a huge success this year,” said Tamara Holder, general farm manager. “The Lord blessed us with ideal weather, and we had attendance that matched pre-Covid numbers. Each year our faculty, staff, and students look forward to the opportunity to engage with agriculture teachers and students from Arkansas and Missouri that are passionate about agriculture.

“The workshop enables us to come alongside teachers and help educate students in various sectors of agriculture. Hosting the workshop gives us the opportunity to bring students on campus and showcase our various agriculture majors and workstations that allow our students to graduate debt free, while building a resume with the skills they are learning at their workstations on campus.”

“I've never trained a heifer, showed cows, or even participated in FFA before the FFA workshop,” said Lydia Inman, junior ecology and field biology major. “I knew that a lot of work was poured into these events and anything ag related, but it wasn't until I actually got my hands dirty and helped prepare the event myself that I gained a fuller appreciation for ag workers and farmers. It was time consuming because I came three to four times a week for a month and trained and washed my heifer. The week of the FFA workshop I deep cleaned the whole dairy with all of my coworkers. We were a team that looked out for each other, which made me love this event even more.”

“I work on the beef farms and helped with the agronomy contest,” said Caden Prock, sophomore history education major. “I enjoyed the opportunity to show students what to expect from an FFA contest and to teach them. I participated in the C of O FFA workshop as a student all four years of high school, and it was helpful for every contest I participated in. The workshop is a great introduction to FFA contests before the season starts.”

Academic advisors and current students were available during the FFA Workshop to discuss the College’s agriculture program. The agriculture department offers majors in agriculture business, animal science, horticulture, agriculture education, agronomy, agriculture development, pre-vet, and wildlife conservation and management.


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