Future Farmers of America
Steve Derose
teaches the FFA club at AGHS and it is the largest club at AGHS. Steve is well respected by the students and other teachers. The FFA program has tremendous community support for the programs offered at the AGHS. FFA is a state mandated program and must include a business, economics, horticulture, floriculture, and mechanics components related to agriculture.
The students in the program receive expertise and experience in a variety of areas. Fifteen students are in a public speaking group that give extemporaneous speeches or prepared speeches, and many other students hone their job interview skills.
There are 500 students in the AGHS Agriculture programs and 350 at the NHS in their Agriculture program. While not all go on to jobs in Agriculture they receive valuable knowledge and skills that help them achieve their goals.
Liz Hurd
won second place in a public speaking contest at the California Cattle Women's Association public speaking forum. Her topic was "The Clone Zone" about reproductive technology which has greatly expanded recently.
Clones offspring are deemed conventional not genetically altered. They typically place semen and egg together for fertilization and incubate the zygote. The FDA currently allows cloning as an option for reproduction. Cloning beef benefits the market by maximizing output with reduced feed, reduced disease, and a reduction in the need for antibiotics. Cloned beef is safe in the food chain. The process of cloning is different than conventional conception and it is expensive but the results are compelling.
Fruits and vegetables have been cloned for years without incident. Cloning benefits both the consumer and the producer.
Amika Osumi participated in a FFA creed recital competition and placed second in the State competition. She will be traveling to the National competition in