Agriculture is More than Just Cows and Plows

Every year Fair Grove High School’s FFA program participates in “FFA Week”. This includes fun spirit days for the students to participate in every day of that week.

Due to Fair Grove’s rural location, the FFA chapter is relatively large with over 100 members. Most people in the city are aware of the FFA’s influence in the community, but many are unaware that FFA week is not only celebrated in Fair Grove. FFA officer, Taylor Rode (11), revealed, “FFA week is nationally recognized as a way to get more people to ask about agriculture and help the general public understand what FFA is all about.”

The students that plan FFA week aim to create a week that both teachers and students can enjoy. Rode remarked, “When we are deciding the themes for our spirit days we try to have as much fun with it as possible; while we have to consider if people will actually participate, we focus a lot on relating all of our themes to FFA or agriculture in some way.”

FFA week is usually one of the most participated in spirit weeks. FFA Vice President Bradi Weaver (12), stated, “My two favorite days are the businessmen’s breakfast and the drive your tractor to school day.” On “Drive your Tractor to School Day” there are many students who participate and will come rolling into the parking lot with their backpacks hanging off of their tractors. 

There is more to plan than just the themes for the high school though, Weaver commented, “Preparing for FFA week means that we have to contact different businesses to be able to do all of the different things that we do. We go on a field trip so we have to contact the places that we are going and get all of the details figured out as well as get our plans approved by the administration.” 

Having spirit weeks such as FFA week are good for the Fair Grove school community, Rode concluded, “My favorite thing about FFA week is seeing the whole club unified and participating in the planned spirit days.” Weaver agreed stating, “My favorite thing about FFA week is getting to see the involvement from everyone in FFA.”