Matia Hartley
Age: 16
Parents: Miles and Montina Hartley
Hometown: Fair Grove, Mo.
FFA Chapter: Fair Grove FFA
FFA Advisor: Matt Crutcher and Mike Stockton
Involvement in Agriculture: Matia Hartley fell in love with farming early in her childhood.
“My great-grandpa bought the farm and passed it down to my dad. Whenever I was really young he gave me my first cow. I kept the heifers that she had and still have some of her offspring,” Matia said.
The Fair Grove, Mo., teenager, takes care of her Angus-based commercial cows on her family’s 200-acre farm.
“I have 10 cows myself mixed in with my brothers’ and my dad’s. I love working on the farm and helping my brothers and dad. I love spending time with my family and it allows me to spend time with them,” Matia explained.
Involvement in FFA: Matia also devotes her time to the FFA Chapter at Fair Grove High School. Her freshman year she made it to state in the FFA Entomology contest and her sophomore year she competed at state in the Grasslands division. As a junior, Matia and her team won first place in state in the agronomy contest. In October, Matia and her teammates went on to the national competition in Louisville, Ky.. Her team placed eighth and Matia was a gold individual.
Matia currently serves as vice president of the Fair Grove FFA Chapter.
Extracurricular Activities: Matia stays involved in many activities at Fair Grove High School. She is a member of the volleyball team, basketball team, Pep Club and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).
Finding a Balance: Matia says finding a way to balance farm, school, FFA and extracurricular activities can be a challenge.
“I am a very busy person so it is hard for me to find time. When I can, I help with fixing fence and working cattle or anything my brother or dad need help with,” Matia said.
