Food for America Brings Ag Education to Ava Youth
The Ava FFA Chapter will host its annual Food for America event on Friday, October 17, bringing hands-on agricultural learning to hundreds of local students from preschool through middle school.
Traditionally held in the spring, this year’s program will take place in the fall and feature 16 interactive learning stations designed and presented entirely by Ava High School agriculture students. The event aims to help younger students understand where their food really comes from, beyond the grocery store shelves, and how agriculture plays a vital role in everyday life.
“We’re going over everything from conservation to chickens, rabbits, beef and dairy cattle, basically showing how food goes from the farm to the table,” said FFA Advisor and Agriculture Educator Leatha Kennedy. “Food for America is something we put on to show younger classmen or kids who are from the city how what we teach here connects to the industry itself. We’re teaching them that food doesn’t come from the grocery store, it starts here. And it’s also about showing them how they can get involved in agriculture.”
The event will welcome an estimated 700 to 800 students throughout the day, with elementary classes visiting in the morning and middle school students participating in the afternoon.
The entire project is student run, giving Ava FFA members an opportunity to lead, organize, and teach. Three high school students, Kaleah Moore, Mayce Daugherty, and Devyn Gieber, are in charge of coordinating the event, assigning roles, and overseeing the many moving parts that bring Food for America together.
Each station group is responsible for developing a visual display and presentation about their topic. For example, students presenting on Missouri hay production will create posters and visual aids to help younger learners connect with the material.
“Every station leader has ownership of their topic,” Kennedy said. “They make their displays, gather their visuals, and practice their presentation so the younger students can really see and understand what agriculture looks like.”
Adding a community touch, Fox Trotters will provide yogurts and snacks for the visiting students.
The Food for America program, part of a national FFA initiative, promotes agricultural literacy and gives FFA members valuable experience in leadership, communication, and education. For Ava, it’s a chance to highlight the importance of agriculture in the Ozarks while inspiring the next generation of growers, producers, and agricultural leaders.
