BV and ag education
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| Brad Sanden (from left), Kody Thomas, Josh Knobloch, Ryan Haney and Richard Brummel, members of the Bureau Valley FFA Agricultural Mechanics team, placed seventh overall at the state FFA contest held May 19 at the University of Illinois in Champaign. Haney placed second overall in survey, and Brummel placed third in agriculture power. Other team members included Sanden in carpentry, Knobloch in electricity and Thomas in welding. There were 39 schools represented including 16 teams and 113 individuals. In order to compete, teams had to win their respective section contests or place first as individuals. (Photo contributed) |
MANLIUS — Another school year has come to an end, and with it, another year of agriculture education at Bureau Valley High School.
Ag teacher Willard Mott recently recapped the events of what he termed a very successful year to Bureau Valley Board members.
Mott said the classroom is where things get started, and the school currently offers Intro to Agriculture, Pre-Veterinary Studies, Ag Business Management, Ag Science, Ag Mechanics and Horticulture. Next year’s offerings will include Intro to Ag Industry, Ag Business Operations and Physical Science Applications in Ag.
Mott said new topics for the year included wind power and ethanol and biofuels. One topic that was not new but was of special interest this year was risk management.
“The kids really got into it in ag business this year,” Mott said.
The department also received a $1,500 grant from Monsanto, which allowed for the purchase of three new computers.
Mott also talked about the supervised agricultural experience. There was one state proficiency winner and two state contestants. There were also five state degrees, the largest number ever, and the gross income for SAE projects hit a high mark at $66,000.
“That’s really good for the local economy and for those students,” Mott said.
In FFA, Mott said there was a goal of improvement in the area of livestock judging, and the team ended up 99th in the state. A new activity FFA members participated in was a parliamentary procedure contest.
Mott talked about the latest tractor restoration completed by the students, and said 50 percent of the funding came from local sources. Mott said he was told by one community member that the tractors were a legacy being left by the students.
“It really caught fire in the community,” he said. “I’m proud of the local support.”
Mott said the school already has been given three more tractors for future restoration projects, which has created a bit of a storage issue.
“That’s one of those good/bad problems,” he said. “I plan to continue the restorations as long as the student interest and the community support is there.”
Superintendent Terry Gutshall expressed his satisfaction with the program and how far it’s progressed.
“It was a number of years ago the board talked about making your position half-time,” Gutshall said. “I’m very pleased with the program.”
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