MCC hosts FFA students, competition
From welding to identifying specific hammers to leading a meeting, student members
of Future Farmers of America (FFA) competed and networked together at Meridian Community
College as a part of their East Central Federation contest.
More than 100 high school students from Neshoba Central, Leake Central, Choctaw Central, West Lauderdale, Union, Newton County, and Clarkdale gathered in the MCC-Riley Workforce Education Center for a half-day of competition. It was the first time for the College to host, and it was a first for the FFA organization to meet all together in one site since the pandemic began.
Danny Johnson, an agriculture teacher at West Lauderdale, an FFA advisor and leader of the event, explained the state FFA is divided into three districts with four federations in each district. Winners from the top two teams in each federation advance to the district and from the district to the state meet.
Competitions included arch welding, tractor operation and maintenance, tool identification, opening and closing ceremony, and extemporaneous, prepared, and creed speaking.
“A lot of this teaches them basic life skills,” said Johnson. “It allows them to work together as a team,” he said.
Regan Hand, a senior at Newton County High School, agrees. As the state treasurer for FFA, she said competitions such as the ones held at MCC “really help develop leadership and speaking abilities that you don’t see in many people who don’t do things like this. It’s very vital. It gets you ahead a lot once you get out of high school and start a career.”
Brendan Harrison, the state FFA vice president who is a freshman at Mississippi State University studying electrical engineering, noted the value of these contests. “It’s a great opportunity for students. I’ve seen it change a lot of lives.”
FFA is an intracurricular student organization for youths interested in agriculture and leadership.