By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Thomas More Prep-Marian will be the first private school in the state to have an FFA chapter beginning this fall.

FFA, formerly Future Farmers of America, focuses on agriculture education.

Jay Harris was brought to TMP this school year to teach agriculture classes. Those classes included introduction to agriculture for junior high students and introduction to animal and crop production for high school students.

Mid-level courses will be offered next year.

The junior high classes are geared to where food comes from. A lot of students in this generation think that food comes from a grocery store, Harris said.

The students level of experience with agriculture have been mixed. Some students have grown up on farms, some students have grandparents or relatives who have farms, and some students have little experience with agriculture.

The majority of the students have a least one parent that do something that has to do with agriculture, and the students didnt realize it, he said. They work at HaysMed. Who are a number of their clients? Farmers. They work at Carrico Implement or they work at one of the coops. There are a lot of ag-related careers and jobs in this area.

Harris and Principal Chad Meitner said agriculture is so prevalent in this area of the state, most careers are affected by agriculture.

If you are a lawyer, Meitner said. you are probably going to have clients who are farmers.

Harris said the formation of the chapter was student driven with a couple of dozen students expressing serious interest.

Jacob Schmeidler, sophomore, was one of those students.

Schmeidlers father raises cattle and row crops in the Hays area. Jacob has been involved in 4-H throughout his childhood, including public speaking and livestock judging.

He has considered a career in large-animal veterinary, but is now leaning toward cattle embryology and breeding.

In the ag classes this year, I have learned so much, he said, and it taps into the field that I want to go into.

The networking opportunities that FFA will provide also will be valuable, Schmeidler said, adding he hopes the program will help him find a good college where he can pursue his career aspirations.

This summer students will attend the state FFA conference. The students will be charged with writing a constitution for the chapter.

FFA supports three arms of academic study. Those include classroom instruction, labs and supervised agriculural experiences or SAEs.

The SAEs have the students working on practical ag projects, such as raising livestock or having an experience in ag journalism.

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TMP to add FFA chapter this fall - hays Post