Mark Robson (Entomology; dean, Agricultural and Urban Programs) and Sharice Richardson (assistant dean, Academic Programs) hosted select high school juniors participating in Future Farmers of America (FFA) from around the state to discuss the school’s undergraduate programs related to agriculture. The students were on the George H. Cook campus on April 14 as part of the 83rd Annual New Jersey FFA convention. Robson later gave the opening remarks to the convention audience of nearly 500 students, teachers, and parents during an evening reception.
The convention included a series of career development events involving more than 250 students from 27 schools from around New Jersey. Students competed in a range of events including agricultural mechanics, agricultural sales, environmental and natural resources, floriculture and nursery, and landscape. For the first time, students competed in a veterinary science event.
According to Nancy Trivette, ag education program leader at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, these hands-on agricultural events were conducted by volunteers from the state’s agricultural industry. Students were given timed performance and written tests and received individual and team scores. First-place winners of each event advanced to the National FFA competition to be held this October in Indianapolis, IN. National winners from the state will be recognized at the New Jersey State FFA Convention in May 2013