Shelby High School FFA students look back on agricultural journey
Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a three-part series for the recent FFA Week
In a journey that spanned from Indiana to Colorado, members of the Shelby High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) embarked on an enlightening trip, broadening their agricultural knowledge and practices.
Kelsey Snyder, a senior and the president of Shelby FFA, was impressed by the diverse agricultural practices witnessed during the Jan. 13-20 trip that included stops in several states, including Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa.
“It was really neat to see agriculture in a different way,” Snyder said.
She highlighted the vast pastures and innovative pivot irrigation systems encountered, especially in Kansas.
“They’re just really long watering systems, and they spin in a huge circle. So all the fields are circular in a way. That was neat,” Snyder elaborated.
In all, at least 46 students went on the trip, including some who attend Pioneer Career and Technology Center, and those with ties to Willard and Clear Fork.
The highlight for many was the visit to the Denver stock show, which Snyder described as “super neat” and emphasized its massive scale, with many people and animals in attendance.
The Denver event was the National Western Stock Show (NWSS), a premier livestock, rodeo, and horse show.
In the various states they visited, students explored key sites in the agricultural sector of the economy.
Junior and Shelby
FFA parliamentarian Courtney Stiving shared her excitement about the diverse industrial visits, including factories and places like John Deere and Roto-mix.
“It just honestly blows your mind,” Stiving remarked, noting the
significance of these factories in producing everyday tools for farmers. She recalled the visit to Hawkeye Breeders, where she witnessed a process for cattle breeding, a practice relevant to