Leadership, consumer skills a big part of Byron FFA

Membership in Byron’s FFA Chapter “ebbs and flows” over the course of the year but generally is right around 30 members, agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor Allison Newman says.
Byron students cannot join FFA until ninth grade, she said, which puts the chapter a little behind those schools that allow middle school students to join. However, FFA members can continue to belong and take part in FFA activities after graduating from high school until they turn 21.
Although Byron’s ag program is a bit different than other area schools, FFA members do have to take one ag class a year, she said. One aspect of the ag program and the FFA is that is a bit different than neighboring schools, she said, is that she realizes many of her students will not choose agriculture careers but all are consumers who need to understand where their food comes from. This is important, she said, because unlike years past, often students do not have close relatives involved in agriculture so they are unfamiliar with it. The leadership skills that FFA members gain are also important in all areas of life, she says.
This also involves other areas such as Byron’s successful “Plantopia” class where the students have a greenhouse. Most likely none of the students will own a greenhouse, she said, but they may very well have lawns and gardens.
Although not exclusively an FFA project, students are currently getting the soil ready to plant the flowers and vegetables in the next weeks. Flowers grown in the greenhouse, she said, will once again be sold to the public Friday and Saturday before Mother’s Day.
Still, Byron FFA students are involved in many of the activities familiar to all Chapters. Two chapter members have interviewed for their State Degree, she said, and many have taken part in the fall contests and will continue to do this spring.
There is also a big emphasis on Chapter activities, she said. Several weeks ago, the members attended a rodeo in the Twin Cities and are hoping to get some snow tubing in yet this winter. Chapter members also participate in a variety of community service projects.
Members also participate in county fair activities, she said, with most also being 4H members. Generally, she said, they participate in either the Dodge County or Olmsted County Fairs, based on which county they do their 4H activities in.
Although it won’t happen during FFA week, the chapter will be having a teacher appreciation meal in March.
Newman has been teaching agriculture classes for 20 years, she said, with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education and a minor in animal science. She also has a master’s degree in education counseling. She also has a personal background in FFA and 4H as she grew up on a farm in Alden, Minn.