(CORDUROY) JACKET REQUIRED
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 -- 11:49 AM
This is National FFA Week.Of course, we're blessed with some very active and very successful local chapters. The Neillsville FFA is led by adviser Amy Gerhardt. She?s been an adviser for six years.
"In a nutshell, the FFA is all about promoting and appreciating agriculture, finding careers in agriculture, and also developing students into leaders," she says.
The Neillvsille FFA boasts over 140 members.
Gerhardt replaced longtime adviser Herman Seebandt. Seebandt was recently elected president of the Wisconsin FFA Alumni Association. Gerhardt says local alumni groups really help chapters succeed.
Cheryl Steinbach has been the adviser in Granton since the late 1980s, when she took over for legendary ag instructor Francis Steiner, who was with the school for 39 years.
Steinbach says the organization is the same, in many ways, as when she went to school?but it has changed with the times in some areas.
"The organization has some of the same traditional concepts of community service and activities. But, we've really expanded more into the educational aspect of the career development events, natural resources and speaking contests.
There are over 506,199 FFA members, aged 12-21 in 7,429 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. We?ll have more with Gerhardt and Steinbach on tomorrow?s In Depth program ? plus, we?ll introduce you to the chapters? respective presidents.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.