Students learn biotechnology, genetic engineering
By:David Koch
MANSFIELD When the FFA was created in 1928, it stood for the Future Farmers of America. Today, the acronym still stands, but now the organization is simply known as the National FFA.
The name was changed in 1988 because the FFA, like modern agriculture, is no longer just about farming.
"Farming is an important part of agriculture, but the FFA also opens students to other aspects of it including biotechnology, genetic engineering, research, agricultural journalism, and politics," said Keith Dannucci, a Northern Burlington Regional High School teacher who is also an advisor for the high school’s FFA chapter.
"We need all these things to learn how to grow more food for a growing population," he said.
Today, the National FFA has 450,000 students across the country with a heavy emphasis on the business and technological side of agriculture.
One thing that hasn’t changed about the FFA is that any high school student across the country who takes an agricultural class is automatically a member.
Last Year, Northern Burlington Regional High School had 220 students who took agriculture classes and all of them were automatic members of the FFA.
Like many FFA members, Northern Burlington senior Jason Zabodyn first gained interest in the club through a teacher.
As a freshman, Jason was in a small engine repair class when his teacher asked him to come to an FFA meeting. Jason enjoyed the club so much that by next year he was a club officer.
This year, Jason and several other of his fellow FFA members at Northern Burlington won first place at a state competition for poultry judging at the Delaware State Fair in July.
Northern Burlington then won second place at the Eastern States Competition held this September in Springfield, Mass., competing against 15 other states in the Northeast region of the country.
Winning at the two competitions now will allow Northern Burlington to compete in poultry judging at the National FFA Convention
The National FFA Convention is attended by more than 30,000 students across the country each year in Louisville, Ky., at the end of October.
Northern Burlington senior Jennifeur Wilson also will be competing at the National FFA Convention for the public speaking event.
During the poultry judging event, students are judged by industry professionals on their ability to act as commercial inspectors and judge the quality of chicken meat.
They also are judged on their ability to rate poultry meat from a consumer’s standpoint.
"They’re getting an all-around education in the industry from an industry standpoint as the consumer," said Mr. Dannucci.
Of the total 22 events the FFA runs, Northern Burlington students compete in 14 of them.
Other events they’ll compete in include land surveying, floral design and agriculture mechanics.
"For every event, there is that ladder to climb from winning at the state level, with the opportunity to compete at the national level," said Mr. Dannucci.
In the club’s 42-year history at Northern Burlington, it has sent students to compete at these events at the national convention at least 24 times, said Mike Hlubik, head of the high school’s agroscience department and also an FFA advisor .
This year, however, was the first time Northern Burlington won the Eastern State Competitions in poultry judging, and for Jason it was the most exciting moment in his four years as an FFA member.
"I always liked going to competitions, and of course when we won poultry judging that was good," said Jason.
When asked what he gained from his FFA chapter, Jason, like all students, answered leadership.
"You learn how to be a better leader," he said. "You can use those leadership qualities throughout life."
"It really taught me organization skills, and most of them in leadership and public speaking," said Evan Humble, a member of the high school FFA’s horse judging team. "It’s really a lot of skills brought into one area."
The Northern Burlington FFA chapter also won first place in horse judging this year, and ranked fifth in Eastern States.
Evan is similar to many students in the FFA, who became part of the club because they had a prior interest in animals or agriculture.
Evan worked with horses before high school as a member of the local 4-H Club.
Another student who always enjoyed working with animals is club advisor and high school senior Ashley Perkins, who has spent her weekends working on her boyfriend’s family farm in North Hanover .
"I love agriculture," said Ashley, who was FFA chapter president last year. "I’m the happiest when I’m doing something along those lines."
Ashley hopes to someday major in animal science or teaching.
She said that if she chooses to go into teaching, the FFA has helped her develop public speaking.
"I was unable to stand up in front of a class and do a presentation," said Ashley. "I was really nervous, and it’s really helped me there."
The Northern Burlington FFA chapter will be competing this year in public speaking thanks to club President Jennifeur Wilson, who won the public speaking event this year at the state convention in May for her speech "Upholding the Merit of the Blue and Gold." Blue and gold are the FFA’s official colors.
Jennifeur became part of the FFA through her freshman plant science class.
She said she learned how to speak in front of an audience, and most of all, how to be adaptable through the National FFA.
"I learned most of all just to be flexible," said Jennifeur. "I thought it (the FFA) would be completely different than it was. Whenever you get involved with something, you have a preconceived notion of what it will be like, and it always turns out to be completely different."

