FFA Career Rally Teaches Value of Repairing One’s Own Farm Equipment
FFA Students compete in repairing tractor equipment
For students from 14 Southern Virginia schools, the Southside Future Farmers of America Career Development Rally was an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in tractor maintenance and repair. According to an article from WDBJ7, the rally was held to provide students with an education in the benefits of repairing their own farm equipment.
The WDBJ7 article reported that the rally consisted of timed competitions in which students were given several minutes to locate and fix a problem within a tractor’s engine or rebuild a motor. The schools that won will reportedly move on to an all-state competition this summer. According to WDBJ7, the high number of farmers in the Southern Virginia area and the students who see farming in their future are two of the key reasons the competition was started this year. The rally not only teaches students how to repair tractors and farm equipment, but it also explains the financial benefits to fixing your own equipment.
When asked about the first Southside Area Career Development rally, Tyler Wallen, an 11th grade student from Appomattox County High School, said, “We've got a farm in Appomattox and we’ve got a lot of tractors and all. It's good to know how to do general maintenance and fix things verses paying somebody every time to fix your own equipment.”
The Southside Future Farmers of America Career Development Rally offered students from Southern Virginia schools the opportunity to deepen their tractor and repair skills by learning how to repair their own farm equipment.