Name: Emily Pendergrass
School: 2009 Everton High School Graduate
Parents: Ray and Carolyn Kile
FFA Advisor: Ray Halbert
How are you involved in agriculture?
"I’ve had horses since I was in Kindergarten and I’ve been raising chickens since the 4th grade. I used to have 30-40 chickens until I got busier in school and I decided I shouldn’t focus on them as much, but more on my academics. I sold eggs and that’s how I got my petty cash growing up. I sold an average of two-dozen a day in the summer. My mom would deliver them to whoever wanted them. I sold them for $1 per dozen. I bought my feed with my egg money. In the winter when they weren’t laying as much, I’d borrow money from my parents to pay for feed. I got different kinds of eggs from a friend and my dad got me an incubator when I got started.
But horses came first. My parents bought me my first horse. It really was just a fat pony. We still have her. She’s about 17 years old now. We have one other horse but we used to have four or five. My dad is President of the Everton Saddle Club and my mom is treasurer. I’d like to be involved with that someday too."
What lessons have you leaned being involved in agriculture?
"I was totally responsibly for my chickens. I had to go out every morning and gather the eggs. In the winter I had to go out two or three times a day and give them water. You have to take care of animals like you’d take care of a person – they rely on you more than anything. They are more dependent than babies. If you don’t take care of them, they’ll have nothing."
What are your future plans?
"I’m going to MSU to study pre-vet. I hope to go to MU for vet school after that."
By Vince Crunk
