Contact: Jack Bailey (304) 766-4109 jbaile19@wvstateu.edu INSTITUTE, W.Va.- West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service will host its first-ever FFA Speech Competition, as part of the forthcoming West Virginia Urban Agriculture Conference and Community Expo being held on the University’s Institute campus in May. West Virginia middle and high school FFA members are eligible, with only two students from each chapter/school allowed to compete. The competition is open to the first 30 applicants.
“We are excited to offer this new venue for our FFA chapters to directly participate in the West Virginia Urban Agriculture Conference and Community Expo,” said Dr. Annette Ericksen, assistant program director for agriculture and natural resources with WVSU Extension Service and the conference’s chairperson. “Our future in agriculture innovation and sustainability is harbored within these young farmers.”
Last year FFA membership in West Virginia totaled 5,360, a record not seen since 1963.
Participants will be required to give a prepared public speech, as though they are a newly elected Commissioner for Agriculture, on the following topic: The people of West Virginia have elected you as the new Commissioner of Agriculture. Your first duty is to deliver to your constituents an agenda to cultivate community engagement while growing West Virginia’s agricultural economy. What would that agenda entail?
To enter, FFA advisors must register and submit their participants’ manuscripts, maximum five minutes in length, by April 19. A panel of judges will critique the manuscripts and judge contestants on supporting evidence, persuasive use of evidence, logic, pace, command of audience, mannerism and gestures, and poise.
There will be three cash prizes: $250 for first place, $150 for second place, and $100 for third place.
Registration is available online at .
The West Virginia Urban Agriculture Conference and Community Expo is taking place May 3-4 on the WVSU campus. The free event is designed to attract agriculture enthusiasts young and old at all levels of skill, from backyard hobbyists to full-scale farm operators, who have an interest in urban farming and gardening practices.
Sponsors of the FFA Speech Competition include Buzz Food Service, Johnnie’s Fresh Meat Market, Hot Diggity Dogs, Nationwide Insurance Agent Mark Call, Ellen’s Ice Cream, the Cabell County Farm Bureau, Hernshaw Farms, Headline Books and the West Virginia Regional Technology Park.
For more information, contact Dr. Annette Ericksen at (614) 271-3005 or .
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