Every time FFA members put on their blue jackets and enter a competition at Arbuckle’s Field Day, they feel a sense of pride.
The FFA Creed, after all, expresses a strong belief in the industry of agriculture and the core values of citizenship and patriotism.
For the 500 or so FFA members from dozens of high schools across the state that participated in the event at Pierce High School on Saturday, the competition was not only a test of their individual skills, but exposure to a variety of opportunities available to them in the agriculture industry.
Cordova High School junior Colton Trotter, 16, said he is planning a career in forensics, but is looking at the agriculture industry as another career option.
“I’m looking more toward arborist (tree surgeon),” said Colton, who competed in the individual and team forestry competition with fellow Cordova FFA members, senior Rylee Emery, 18, a returning Field Day participant, and first-time competitors Alexis Sharratte and Giovanny Hernandez, both 16-year-old juniors from the same Rancho Cordova high school.
Emery, who competed previously in job interview, decided to test her mettle at identifying trees her final year in the organization for practical reasons.
“I’m interested in plants and I’m going to be moving to Tennessee soon,” Emery said. “We’re getting a lot of land and I want to know a little bit about the kinds of things I might have to be doing when I’m out there.”
Coming off a virtual event in 2021, Arbuckle FFA members said they were glad to host the day-long event, which is a local tradition that has spanned more than two decades.
“Overall, it went pretty well,” said Jesus Mendez, 16, a junior at Pierce High School, who oversaw the ag-mechanics competition related to small engines, tool identification, and troubleshooting. “It’s a lot of work getting everything set out and typing everything up, but everyone worked together to get it done.”
In addition to FFA chapters from the local area, students were bussed in for Saturday’s Field Day from coastal cities like Eureka and Watsonville – and from up and down the state.
Between students, spectators, and advisors, about 600 people were on the Pierce campus in cool but sunny weather, where FFA members competed in about 20 agriculture-related hands-on, written, and oral events that tested their technical competence, leadership, and communication skills.
Competitions related to the agriculture industry included ag sales, agronomy, job interview, welding, vegetable crop and plant identification, farm business management livestock and veterinary science, floriculture, and more. Individual and team awards were given out at the end of the day
Many of the students, like Brody Jones, of Maxwell FFA, are second generation members of the Future Farmers of American organization.
Jones, a freshman, competed in small engines wearing his father Aaron’s FFA jacket from Williams High School, which his dad wore before transferring and graduating from Maxwell High School in 1998.
The Arbuckle FFA Field Day, one of the largest student-organized high school FFA competitions that meets the requirements of a state-qualifying event, is one of the first FFA competitions of the year. Chico State will host a similar event on Saturday. The UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Science will hold a Field Day for FFA and 4-H March 4-5, and the Fresno State FFA State Finals and Field Day will be held April 9. ■