Prairie View, TX – After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Invitational Future Farmers of America Career Development Event returned to Prairie View A&M University, hosting about 1000 high school students as they participated in various agricultural competitions across the campus. With the leadership of United States Department of Agriculture/1890 Liaison Horace Hodge and Aldine ISD Agriscience Teacher/FFA Advisor Andra Collins-Johnson, students enjoyed a full day putting their ag skills to the test and growing in their dedication to keeping agriculture alive.

The day began early morning with hundreds of students from counties all over Texas descending onto campus to join the invitational. More than 15 events were running concurrently, including Farm Business Management, Public Speaking, Plant ID, Floriculture, Land Evaluation, Home Site Evaluation, Vet Tech, Poultry Evaluation, Entomology, Milk Quality, Meats ID, Nursery Landscape, Agronomy, Horse ID, Range ID, and more. The competitors were able to work in various areas across campus like the Cooperative Extension Program building, Meat Science Center, Poultry Center and Greenhouse on the Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Farm & Ranch.

The students are tested on their knowledge of various aspects of agriculture care as it relates to different industries, and their overall scores were tallied, with both individual and team groups awarded at the end of the day. During the award ceremony, CAHS Associate Dean for Academic Programs Kwaku Addo, Ph.D., offered remarks on the land-grant mission of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences and thanked the hardworking students, staff, and faculty for putting the event together. CAHS Regents Professor Alfred Parks, Ph.D., also celebrated two distinguished members of the agriculture community in Texas, Benita Hodge and Collins-Johnson. Benita was the first African American female to earn an American FFA degree and went on to work for the USDA. Collins-Johnson was the first African American Agriculture teacher in the state of Texas.

None of this would be possible without the support and effort made by high school agriculture teachers, many of whom drove their students to this event to encourage them in their studies. The teachers are a big part of their career trajectory, and Hodge made sure to celebrate them.

“I came to PV because of my agriculture teachers’ influence,” Hodge said. “I know you all are overworked, but the payback is the work you do for these young students every day, day in and day out, all year. Thank you!”

Seminole FFA chapter Area II State Vice President Zoee Nolen also spoke to the audience, reminding the students of the significant role agriculture plays in the world.

“We need doctors and lawyers just a few times a year, but we need agriculturists every single day, three times a day, to put food on the table,” Nolen said. “So, the fact that you are here today spending time exploring different careers in agriculture and competing is monumental, and I hope you will dive into that. Realize the impact agriculture has on you and every person around you, and hopefully, that encourages you to pursue an ag degree.”

Thank you to the CAHS faculty, staff, administrative associates, the Information and Impact Center, students, and numerous volunteers who helped make this year’s CDE a success for the high school students.

Pascale Mondesir
Communication Specialist II
pamondesir@pvamu.edu