Name: Shawnya Wethington
School: Mt. Vernon High School
Ag Teachers: Jason Haymes and Randy Garrett
What is your involvement in agriculture?
“I am the Reporter for the Mount Vernon FFA Chapter,” she said, “and I have been on many different contest teams, including agronomy and grassland evaluation.” Shawnya is a junior in high school and has been in the FFA since her freshman year. Both of these contests teach skills and knowledge that are practical for farmers, agriculturists or anyone interested in the land. Shawnya liked both of these contests and noted that, “I loved Agronomy. We learned to identify weeds, crops, and seeds and judged the quality of seeds and hay. I also enjoyed the Grassland Evaluation contest, which dealt with identifying grassland and prairie plants, judging soils and pastures, and determining whether a plot was adequate for wildlife.” Shawnya recently placed first individual high in the state Grasslands contest in Columbia, besting hundreds of competitors from across the Show-Me State. Her SAE (or Supervised Agriculture Experience project) through the FFA is taking pictures of students and their animals at the county fairs.
How has your involvement with agriculture (through the FFA) bettered you as an individual?
“Being involved with Agriculture has helped me to be more aware of my surroundings. I appreciate things that I used to take for granted. Before I joined the FFA and started working with agriculture, I hardly ever took the time to stop and think about where everything was coming from.”
Why is learning about agriculture important for young people in America?
“Agriculture is everywhere you look,” Shawnya said, “It’s in your house, your food, your clothes. Our lives couldn’t happen without agriculture.” Shawnya believes this is the reason it’s very important for young people to know about agriculture. She continued, “Not only because of the huge impact it has on our lives, but also because we are the future of agriculture. The more we improve our techniques, the better we make life for ourselves, and for others.”
By Jordan Haymes
