Commissioners Issue Proclamation Honoring FFA Chapters in Douglas County
(Douglas County, Ore.) Douglas County Commissioners Tom Kress, Chris Boice, and Tim Freeman were pleased to issue a proclamation recognizing FFA Chapters in Douglas County prior to their weekly business meeting today, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, on the front steps of the Douglas County Courthouse. The proclamation recognizes the important role that the FFA youth programs and agricultural education classes in our local high schools play in providing a strong foundation for youth to excel in leadership roles, realize personal goals, and obtain valuable tools in order to prepare them for real-world success.
Today, 51 area high school students and 7 agriculture science teachers and advisors, representing six of the nine Douglas County FFA Chapters attended the proclamation ceremony at the Douglas County Courthouse. Douglas County’s FFA Chapters include: Camas Valley, Days Creek, Douglas, Elkton, Glide, Oakland, Roseburg, South Umpqua and Sutherlin. In total, Douglas County has over 1,000 youth that participate in FFA competitions, livestock rearing and leadership programs annually. Receiving a proclamation from Commissioners and representing their FFA Chapter today were: Julie Amos, Camas Valley FFA; Kailee Chandler, Days Creek FFA; Audrey VanHouten, Oakland FFA; Makaela Carter, Roseburg FFA; Faith Drennen, South Umpqua FFA and Jada Gary, Sutherlin FFA. A special shout out to the Glide, Douglas and Elkton FFA Chapters that were not able to attend today.
“I want to share a story with you. Yesterday, I participated on a hiring panel interviewing applicants for a state position. One of the applicants was a former Sutherlin High School student. She was an impressive interviewee. At the end of the interview, based on her poise and public speaking abilities, I asked her if she participated in the FFA program at Sutherlin. She immediately started to brag about her FFA experience at Sutherlin. The point of me sharing this story is that FFA is a great organization. It certainly teaches you life skills that you will use later on in your life and gives you a head start in life. We as Commissioners and business people have been involved in supporting FFA Chapters in our communities for many years because of that very reason. It is my privilege to honor all of the FFA Chapters in our County today!” commented Commissioner Chris Boice.
FFA and agricultural education programs help to provide a future for food production, the fiber industry and natural resource systems, by ensuring a steady supply of young professionals to meet the growing needs in the art, science, business and technology of agriculture in the United States and beyond. FFA is a national youth organization, founded in 1928 as “Future Farmers of America” and officially renamed “FFA” in 1988 to reflect the growing diversity and new opportunities in the industry of agriculture. The Commissioners also want to recognize that the national FFA youth program is not just for students who want to be production farmers, but welcomes members who aspire to be future chemists, veterinarians, government officials, bankers, entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors, scientists, international business leaders, and leading professionals in many fields.