Preparing for the upcoming FFA clinics, from left, are Kaleob Ashley and Madison Phillips, Collegiate FFA members; Kayla Bilbrey and Grant Towns, Block and Bridle members; Marisa Phelps, Collegiate FFA member; Dennis Fennewald, Block and Bridle advisor; Nikki Gass, human ecology graduate; Hannah Upole, human ecology; Douglas Airhart, horticulture club advisor; and Megan Heffron and Will Henry, Block and Bridle members. (Photo: TTU)

Tennessee Tech’s FFA Clinics Engage HS Students

Posted by: Staff Report Monday, February 4, 2019

At least 400 high school students will participate in Tennessee Tech’s annual Future Farmers of America (FFA) Clinic Thursday.

Dennis Fennewald is an Associate Professor at Tennessee Tech’s School of Agriculture. He said the program serves as an outreach for FFA students wanting to learn more about and engage in agriculture studies.

“Some of the things we do would be very expensive and time-consuming for an agriculture educator at a high school to provide for their students,” Fennewald said. “So what we do is provide an event where, because we’re doing it, we’re able to spread that cost out more, and allow them to get in the practice they need for a career development event (CDE).”

Fennewald said the clinics allow students to enhance their skills by training and practicing for the various CDEs throughout the year.

“So what we do is we provide them with a practice or a workshop where we go through what they’re going to see at the actual CDE,” Fennewald said. “We give them an opportunity to either start their training or maybe even move up if they’ve already started. Then it gets them a little further along in their training.”

The FFA Clinic includes livestock judging, vet science, parliamentary procedure, and soils clinics during the spring, while sessions like horse and poultry judging come during fall clinics.

“Some of them are mainstays that we offer all the time. These tend to draw the most students,” Fennewald said. “We have other ones that are smaller but fits with the space we have out at Hyder-Burks (Agriculture Pavilion).”

The first clinic of 2019 will take place Thursday at 9 a.m., located at Tennessee Tech’s Hyder-Burks pavilion on Gainesboro Grade in Cookeville.

At least 27 high schools and over 400 students will participate in Thursday’s Clinic. About 50 students will come from Cumberland County.