FFA Kids

That is not what the sun should look like at 8AM.

The Rough Fire in the Sierras has dominated the local weather and news for the last week. The last time I saw it this bad was when there was a fire in the mountains of San Diego when I was a kid. The smoke was so thick you could look at the noon day sun and all you saw was a red dot. We will all be glad to see this over with. As the hippies said of war in the 60's, this is not good for children or other living things.

I thought I had posted this already. It is a radio script I did a few years ago.

The People of Agriculture- FFA Kids

By Paul H. Betancourt

Copyright August, 2011

            We have all heard a lot about what is wrong with teen agers these days. Let me introduce you to some of the best kids out there- The Future Farmers of America. These young men and women are some of the brightest, poised, and well spoken young people in our society. I am always encouraged when I am around them. They are so energetic.

         You may have seen them at the Fair with their blue jackets. In addition to regular classes during their high school years they prepare and compete in fields such as livestock, Ag mechanics, agronomy and ornamental horticulture.

         I don’t know how many of them will actually farm in the future. [Actual farmers are becoming an endangered species.] But, they have learned the lessons of farming: hard work is important, but it takes smart work too.

         An old friend told me years ago, “You can’t out smart a smart farmer.” The young men and women of the FFA will be hard to outsmart wherever they end up because of what they have learned during their years as Future Farmers of America.