More than 400 visitors learn about husbandry

Photo by Isabella Alvarez-Rubio

By Isabella Alvarez-Rubio

A young attendee cuddles ‘Donnie” the chicken during Gilroy’s FFA Inaugural Community Farm Day. The March 30 event introduced the public to the Gilroy High School’s Future Farmers of America class.
Photo courtesy Isabelle Alvarez-Rubio

When Graham stepped onto the grounds of Gilroy FFA’s inaugural Community Farm Day March 30, the young boy’s eyes widened with excitement. Eager to learn about agriculture, he went from one exhibit station to another, absorbing knowledge about animal nutrition, wool growing, and egg candling.

But it was the pigs that truly captured the child’s heart. As he gently brushed their bristly coats, the Gilroyan hoped that one day when he started high school, he too would join the ranks of the Gilroy Future Farmers of America — and embrace the world of husbandry.

Gilroy FFA members shared agriculture education with fellow community members. This event held at the Gilroy High School campus farm welcomed Gilroyans of all ages to learn how club members work with livestock and other elements of the ag business.

Local FFA members were in charge of various learning stations including ear notching, roping, and transplanting, as well as an FFA overview station. In addition to all the learning fun, hamburgers were sold. The FFA students shared their love for agriculture with more than 400 visitors, creating lasting memories for Gilroy families participating in agricultural activities.

“I think ag education in schools is very important because it helps teach kids how to use skills that they learn in the classroom and implicate it into real life,” said Ari Rutman, a Gilroy FFA member. “I’m here at the Farm Day to help support my chapter and educate the community about agriculture and show the importance that it has in our lives . . . Local FFA members are thrilled to connect with community members and educate them as well.”

The FFA is based on a three-ring model: Classroom, SAE (supervised agricultural experience), and FFA activities, he said. The model enables students to learn in the classroom along with hands-on learning. Rutman believes the balance between classroom learning and hands-on learning is important when it comes to understanding what is being taught.

“FFA is an agricultural leadership program that offers experiences to children both in the classroom and out, in SAE projects and leadership events,” he said.

An SAE is a project each student undertakes. It can include taking care of a backyard garden to raising livestock for the Santa Clara County Fair. An SAE is where most leadership skills are gained as students take charge of new responsibilities.

Alexis Mydell said ag education is essential in schools and is a fun addition to the more traditional classes students take. She believes these experiences help advance agriculture for every young person they influence and lead it onto a progressive path. FFA is a student-run, intracurricular program that highlights premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education, she said.

The Gilroy FFA isn’t just about farming, said member Daniel Garamendi. It also focuses on developing leadership skills through public speaking events as well as career success through different Career Development Events (CDEs) such as farm power with solar and wind energy. Leadership Development Events (LDEs) and CDEs can be crucial when it comes to gaining leadership skills, he said.

In addition to the learning stations at the Farm Day, visitors also saw students SAE projects like raising hogs and steers. Livestock SAE projects are the more challenging SAEs that require more time and effort. For example, students must give their animal its daily food and water as well as keep its living space clean. They attend showmanship practices along with practicing with their animal on their own time.

“I’m here to show off my station,” Mydell said. “At the FFA overview station we had student leaders talk to the community about the different CDE’s, LDE’s, and conferences FFA members are able to attend.”

In addition to seeing students’ SAE projects at the Farm Day, families had a chance to visit a petting zoo where kids could touch and feed different barnyard animals. Children enjoyed getting a first-hand familiarity with critters like bunnies, chickens and ponies.

Besides the petting zoo, roping lessons provided other fun experiences for child visitors. Learning to handle a lasso is a vital skill in ranching and the young wanna-be cowboys and cowgirls who tried their hand at this art of agriculture learned how hard it can be for a beginner.

Connecting with the community and advocating for agriculture is one of Gilroy FFA’s main objectives, said Gilroy FFA club secretary Hazel Quintero.

“I’m glad we were able to bring this back, and I’m glad to see the community show up,” she said. “What brings me here is creating a space where our community can connect with our FFA members and with ag.”

Without connecting to the community, it would be an obstacle trying to educate other people about agriculture, Quintero said. That’s why Gilroy FFA decided Farm Day would be an excellent way to have fun, connect with others, and educate.

“Ag is everything around us,” she said. “We depend on ag and it is vital for us to have the proper education and know what’s going on.”

Photo courtesy Isabelle Alvarez-Rubio

Being up to date with what goes on in the community can not only help others but is a good way for FFA students to educate themselves as well, Mydell said. Besides building strong connections with the community, FFA also provides career opportunities, she explained.

The Gilroy FFA students want to continue to have a growing impact on the community. They hope their Farm Day inspires children and adults to pursue and understand the importance of agriculture. If a career in agriculture doesn’t seem to be their path, the FFA hopes they still take the future of agriculture into consideration when making decisions.

After having a successful Community Farm Day, the Gilroy FFA hopes to create another environment of agriculture education for local families in spring 2025, she said.

Community Farm Day would not be possible without the generosity of local businesses and organizations. These include the Santa Clara Cattlemen’s Association, which donated $500 for lunch supplies; D’Rose Petting Zoo, which provided the barnyard animals; Superior Sanitation for the Porta Potties; and Gilroy Garden Club for donating seeds for the transplant station. The FFA club also thanks the Gilroy Fire Department and the Gilroy and Christopher high school SROs for attending.

Isabella Alvarez-Rubio is a senior at Gilroy High School and an FFA publicity person. She wrote this story for Gilroy Life.