By Cheyenne Hunter

South Rowan FFA reporter

This fall has been very productive for South Rowan FFA – they’ve participated in Career Development Events, traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, for the National FFA Convention and have conducted monthly service projects, meetings and their major fundraiser.

The groups heard from North Carolina FFA state officers Sarah Lemons, Anthony Scala and Haley Shore and Southwest Regional FFA officers Mikayla Adams and Johanna Hough. In addition, 23 first-year FFA members received their Greenhand Degree at the October FFA meeting.

The first big event for FFA members to participate in this year involved showing livestock at the Rowan County Fair, held in September at the Rowan County Fairgrounds. FFA members showed 18 sheep, nine goats and three heifer calves, all of which were raised or housed on the South Rowan FFA Land Laboratory.

These students worked with their animals after school to prepare for the show.

Five FFA members also raised and showed 5 broiler chickens during the fair. Taylor Mauldin was awarded Grand Champion for her pen of broilers and Riley Corriher was Reserve Grand Champion.

Eight South Rowan FFA members attended the 87th National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, including Alicia Barlow, MacKenzie Catanese, Caleb Faulk, Jeffery Goodman, Joseph Linker, Marion Smith, Abigail Raffaldt and Haley Shore.

These members attended sessions hosted by the 2013-14 National FFA Officers and collected college and agribusiness information during a huge career expo.

Barlow, Catanese, Raffaldt and Shore also competed in the National Agricultural Sales Career Development Events. This team ranked silver, placing 13^th in the nation. Shore and Catanese received individual gold rankings.

On Nov. 13, FFA members Jeffery Goodman, Timothy Walter, and Joel Safrit competed in the Rowan Federation Truck and Tractor Driving Career Development Event. Goodman won first place in the truck driving competition and will go on to compete in the state competition in February.

Walter and Safrit competed in the Senior Division Tractor Driving competition.

On Nov. 20, four FFA members competed in the North Carolina FFA Dairy Judging Career Development Event held at the Rowan County Fairgrounds.

Miranda Belk, Caleb Faulk, Katelyn Goodman, and Taylor Mauldin competed in the senior division. The team placed 11^th out of 59 teams.

This year, the South Rowan FFA also participated in a parade float sponsored by the Rowan County Farm Bureau. The chapter represented “Summer in Agriculture” by decorating with tomato plants and cultivation tools. The South Rowan FFA officers rode the float through the Southern Rowan Christmas Parade.

The South Rowan FFA hosted its annual Fruit Sale Fundraiser. During this fundraiser FFA members sold citrus fruit, apples, country ham, hoop cheese and strawberry jam made from strawberries grown on the South Rowan FFA Land Laboratory. This is its largest fundraiser, which helps support the chapter’s functions.

In order to give back to the community, South Rowan FFA conducts at least one service project per month. In September, 15 FFA members participated in Adopt-A-Highway, where members picked up trash along Highway 152 in China Grove. A canned food drive was also held.

In October, nine FFA members spent a Monday afternoon volunteering at Main Street Mission in China Grove. In November, FFA members conducted trash pick up again, as a part of the Adopt-A-Highway program.

In December, our FFA service projects revolved around Christmas. FFA members went Christmas caroling to some of our FFA Alumni members to get them into the Christmas spirit, and the FFA officers also bought and donated Christmas presents for the Main Street Mission Dignity Store.

Our 2014-2015 South Rowan FFA officers are: Alicia Barlow, president; Marion Smith, vice president; Laken Garney, secretary; Karrigan Brown, treasurer; Cheyenne Hunter, reporter; Miranda Belk, sentinel.

The South Rowan FFA Advisors are Laura Allen and David Overcash.