Becoming a future farmer

A Future Farmers of America (FFA) member walks into the barn and is instantly met with the sounds of pigs squealing. He makes his way to the pig pen where he sees six piglets roaming around their pens. Bartts opens the pen and guides the pigs outside to give them their daily walks. As he walks the pigs, Barrts feels a strong sense of compassion and attachment for these six little pigs.

Junior Dyllan Bartts joined the organization while he was a sophomore and ever since then, his love for FFA has only grown. With a large interest in farm animals and agriculture, it wasn’t long before he became accustomed to farm work associated with FFA.

When Bartts first presented his pigs at talent shows or market events to sell them at an auction, he was filled with anxiety but his family helped him through his first presentation.

“My mom showed pigs in [her] high school so it kind of runs in my blood,” Bartts said. “When I joined last year, I started [to] show hogs too and my love for it just grew from there.”

The FFA members take care of a wide range of animals including lambs, heifers and pigs. FFA adviser Sydney Wallace helps her students by teaching them the basics on maintaining their animals properly.

“My job as the adviser is to facilitate each members’ learning,” Wallace said. “It is my role to provide the members with ample opportunities to branch out and learn. We try to organize events, provide support while they raise their animals and help prepare them for their competitions.”

Bartts isn’t the only member taking care of farm animals during his freetime. FFA member senior Noah Koscelnik takes care of pigs like Bartts and spends his free time making sure the animals are cared for.

“I’ve always been somewhat of a country boy so it just seemed natural that I join a club I was interested in,” Koscelnik said. “I got involved when Dylan Bartts, a close friend of mine, suggested I join because he knew how much I loved farm work and everything associated with it. Plus he wanted the both of us to join at the same time so I agreed and ever since then we have been working together to push each other to be better.”

The end goal for all of the farm animals is for the members to show them off at an auction and make a sale. This helps the students learn communication skills as well as agriculture from a business standpoint. When Bartts was told he would have to sell his pigs on the market to be slaughtered, he was upset but knew it was for the best for the community.

“When a student shows his/her animal they are given a premium price for their livestock animal,” Wallace said. “From there, the buyer can choose to put the animal on the truck to go to market or keep the animal. Sometimes a student raises a breeding animal. In that case, the animal returns to the breeder to produce more livestock.”

While Bartts is hesitant to see his pigs being sold to a butcher, but he knows what he has to do for the community as an FFA member.

“I’m going to be a little sad to sell my pigs off at an auction but I know that’s just how the business goes,” Bartts said. “It was kind of scary at first because I became like a dad to them. I had to take care of these animals and they [relied] on me for everything. However, after about two weeks, it becomes almost second nature. FFA is a lot of fun and it is kind of put on the back burner here at school, but I want people to know it is really fun to learn more about the field and agriculture.”