Clay FFA Starts Ag Advocacy Committee

The Clay County FFA Chapter has started a new Ag Advocacy Committee as a way to get more involved in the local community.

Co-Chair Erin Meadows said the committee attends local government meetings to learn about the operations and happenings of the community. Co-Chair Kylie Tinsley said they started the committee because they want their members to get more involved with the functions and people of Clay County.

“So one thing we hope to gain from this, from like our other stakeholders and all these meetings we go to, is just as I said to spread the knowledge about FFA,” Tinsley said. “But also for us as a committee to gain knowledge of what’s going on in everyday life.”

Tinsley said the committee will also advocate for the FFA program and display their capabilities and impact in the county. Tinsley said they hope that they will also be able to contribute and add their knowledge to the discussions they are getting involved in.

“As the young generation of America, we hope to be able to kind of avoid these issues along with like how we can help affect them and make them better,” Tinsley said.

Meadows said the idea came about last March when they were preparing their committees for the next school year.

“Between a couple of the members and one of our advisors it was a pretty common idea to have a committee that would go out into the community and connect with agencies like Farm Bureau or things like the school board,” Meadows said.

Meadows said they hope the involvement in these meetings will encourage students to continue participating in local government as they grow up.

“We’re just really excited to see where this year takes us and we hope that this grows throughout the years,” Meadows said.