Future Farmers of America’s Blue Wave Hits Hard Bargain Farm with a Splash!
By Deanna Lutz
For seven weeks this summer over 2,300 Future Farmers of America (FFA) members will travel to Washington, DC to attend the National FFA Organization's Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) where they strive to take their leadership skills to the highest level by learning to know their purpose, value people, take action and serve others. Each five-day conference inspires FFA members to make a positive impact in their school, local community, state and country. The culmination of each week’s event is a civic engagement activity designed to take leadership and service learning to new standards.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation was selected as recipient of the first week’s service project and it was with a bit of nervousness that AFF staff planned for the busy morning with an expected 250 students, mentors and chaperones heading to Hard Bargain Farm. Never before had we directed such a large group of volunteers! The plan was to pull invasive plants, mulch the paths and pick up trash from along the Potomac River.
While the naturalists on staff are used to the green shock experienced by some of the younger students who attend our educational programs, there was nothing shocking or shy about the bright blue shirted FFA members! They arrived in seven buses, very well organized and ready to get to work.
An informal poll of the crowd revealed chapters from South Dakota, Oklahoma, Iowa, Texas, Louisiana, Montana, and Missouri—many of whom had never before visited Washington, DC and were glad to be out of the city and back in the ‘countryside’ of Accokeek.
Throughout the morning’s work there were plenty of opportunities for getting to know one another. The students were lively with questions about AFF and our educational programs, the Fergusons, the farm and those ‘pointy leaved trees’ (American Holly) which they don’t have ‘down home’.
Staff shared history of Alice and Henry Ferguson and the joy of working for the Foundation while the volunteers talked of their family, friends and hometowns. The question was often asked if they were planning on farming after high school. A couple of young ladies honestly admitted they only planned on marrying a farmer!
These delightful young adults were willing to do anything we asked them to and jumped in with both feet —literally—to get the job done! Those picking up trash along the Potomac River waded in up to their hips with one young man removing his wet jeans and finishing the morning in just his boxers (and bright blue t-shirt!) Those mulching along the chicken path admitted that they had hoped to shovel some manure while here and thus didn’t hesitate when Eileen hinted that the manure spreader needed to be stocked. Of course, they happily pitched right in to get it loaded up.
But the morning wasn’t all work and no play. A large number gathered at the top of the hill just outside the garden to enjoy the view of Mt. Vernon and to roll down the hill like raindrops.
We cannot end this report without a special thank you to Lowry Phelps, Superintendent of Recycling and Litter Control for Charles County, for providing the mulch; and to the AFF staff who planned and worked to make this a successful event. It was truly a special experience to work with these young leaders.
National FFA partners with the following organizations for the WLC service event: Living Classrooms of the National Capital region, the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Networks. In the past two years, WLC participants have dedicated over 23,000 hours of service to the Washington, DC area.
