Planting Seeds - Food & Farming News from CDFA

Petaluma FFA wins national title, provides great example of potential of youth

The award-winning dairy cattle evaluation team from Petaluma FFA

The award-winning dairy cattle evaluation team from Petaluma FFA. Left to right: Coach Frank Gambonini, Jesse Jones, Regina Pozzi, Francesca Gambonini, Alexandra Gambonini, and Coach Dominic Grossi.

We spend a considerable amount of time at CDFA working to prepare for the future. We’re developing a strategic plan that includes succession planning because we know the time will come to hand the reigns to a new generation to protect and facilitate food production in California.  We also know that we’ll need thousands of new farmers and ranchers, and many more people to enter associated fields.

In my travels around the state, I am always very interested to meet young people and invariably come away impressed with their intelligence and enthusiasm. They have outstanding potential. A great example of this is exhibited by the Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter in Petaluma. Last month, a team from that community won the national Dairy Cattle Evaluation Career Development Event in Indianapolis  –  a competitive event that tests students’ ability to select and manage quality dairy cattle.  The group will move on to represent the United States in international competition at the Royal Highland Livestock Show in Ediburgh, Scotland in June 2013.  This marks the second time in four years that Petaluma FFA will have a team competing in Edinburgh. What a fantastic achievement!

We offer our congratulations to the students and advisers at Petaluma FFA.  They proudly symbolize the hope and confidence we have in the future of agriculture in California.

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