A big event for the FFA club at Steinbrenner is the Hillsborough County Fair in Dover, Florida, taken place during September 23rd through October 2nd. The fair typically takes place for about one to two weeks and involves a lot of long hours and hard work. The goal of the fair is for FFA students to show off their livestock projects. The agriculture students spend much time and effort in order to prepare for the fair shows. The FFA members show all types of animals ranging from cows and swine to lambs and goats. The animals are judged on how well they are groomed or “clipped” and on general showmanship.
Founded in 1928 originally as an organization for boys in rural, farming communities, Future Farmers of America has educated many youths in the fields of agricultural study. This same organization is found right here at Steinbrenner High School.
Another part of the FFA fair includes the “ask me” booths. These booths are run by the FFA members and allows those attending the fair to come up and ask the students questions about showmanship and the program. They also talk about important current environmental issues and solutions. In addition, there are also marine life showings which focus on fish tanks and aquariums for animals.
“Everybody can come by and ask questions and we kind of inform the public on why we shouldn’t be killing all these snakes because they’re taking care of our rabbit problem and kind of how everything works,” Katelyn Easterwood, a first-year student in FFA stated.
When asked about the preparation for the FFA fair Easterwood states, “We do a lot of practice with the animals, and we monitor their diets and we weigh them in order to make sure they are up to what pound they need to be in order to qualify.” In addition, the FFA animals need to be vaccinated and trained to follow their caretakers.
“[The fair is] an important event for the FFA because it gives youth agriculturists an opportunity to advocate for agriculture and help educate the public,” Megan Dempsey, a sophomore in FFA said. These fairs give an opportunity to those who love the environment and taking care of animals to show their skills and collaborative work as a team.
Saule Kondra// Staff Writer
