Return to the Land

Future Farmers of America

By 1950 the farm was becoming productive with the dairy. Attending high school in Bland opened new horizons. My basic education advanced and along with this came an opportunity that helped mold my future. Agricultural (Ag) classes were offered to those male students living on farms. Mr. Ralph R. Reynolds was a young energetic strict Ag instructor who took extra time with his students. Basic farming principles were taught. Also each student had home projects to maintain, keep precise records of expenses, and track profits or losses. We learned by hands-on experience. One of my first projects was raising pigs. I bought a young sow pig and raised her to breed. One Sunday afternoon following church my Dad informed me that the young sow was ready to breed. Mr. Bob French had a truck with a specially made crate for transporting hogs. By some miracle we caught the sow and loaded her into the crate and off we went to find a boar. After locating such an animal I witnessed one of nature’s most amazing acts. Well folks, swine are made a little different from other animals in particular the male boar reproductive organs. Fortunately the mating was a success and in a few months the sow brought forth 3 or 4 piglets. I felt so proud, almost like being a father myself. However, I was soon to learn that with farming sometimes there are heartaches. By some quirk of nature the mother ate her piglets leaving me with no profit for my project. I was to learn later the proper techniques for farrowing and how to prevent such losses. The old sow and I were not friends after that and we had good sausage and ham the next winter. Well so much for the hog business. I turned my talent to raising chickens. That proved to be a more profitable venture. A brooder house was constructed for raising baby chicks. Dad bankrolled my project and I started with 100 baby chicks ordered through the mail from a hatchery. There was an old hen house not large enough for this many chickens so with my untrained carpentry skills I remodeled the old hen house. Only a few were lost in the initial stages and by fall the pretty white hens were laying eggs enough to supply the family needs as well as marketing the excess. This continued through my high school years and my project in the Ag class made a turn for the better. I wrote up my project and won a trip to one of the Virginia Poultry Association Conferences in Richmond the following year. In conjunction with the Ag class, a young men’s farm organization known as Future Farmers of America (FFA) was closely aligned with the rural schools in Virginia and throughout the states. This offered a club, which young high school students could join, that fostered scholarship, leadership, and stewardship. By becoming a member, the students received extra benefits such as field trips, honor awards for special projects, and state and national conventions. The conventions were financed by the department of Agriculture and Education. Each summer, for a several days, the Virginia Association State Convention was held in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech. Delegates from each local chapter along with their advisor would attend and participate in various activities such as livestock judging, sports, and nightly entertainment. This was a load of

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