FFA Honors for Yelm

I'm Bob Larson. If the Yelm, Washington FFA chapter is any indication, the next generation of farming is in very good hands.

The Future Farmers of America chapter at Yelm High School was named, by the National FFA Organization, as the best in the U.S. with the Model of Excellence Award ...

MATT MOUNTS ... "We were shocked! I mean, you always go in there prepared for the best, and we've been finalists before. In my 17 years here at Yelm, we've only won as a finalist in community development one year out of all the times we've been back. And so definitely, in this one, especially in this new category, it meant an awful lot. You know, it's kind of like the cherry on top of all the hard work that everyone pours into it. It's not only the students, the advisors, but also the community and opportunities they give us."

Teacher and advisor Matt Mounts says eliminating the joining fees helped open FFA up to all students which resulted in the chapter exploding to nearly 1,000 members ...

MATT MOUNTS ... "We decided to go that route to try and remove barriers because you know paying $20 is kind of hard at times for students and our community, I would not put it as the wealthiest community in Washington, and that can be a big barrier for a lot of our students. And so, through some local sponsorships and fund raising and a successful plant sale, we were able to gather enough funds to pay that flat fee and remove all the barriers for the students so they can participate at will."

We'll tell about other home-grown chapters tomorrow that also brought home awards from Nationals.