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Farm Events: |
Farm News: 3rd Generation Of American FarmerscommentsPosted: 10.17.2011
At the 84th National FFA Convention hundreds of FFA members will receive the golden key of the American FFA Degree, just like those that came before them. For Cory Brown, from the Belleville FFA Chapter in Wisconsin, the past generations that receive their American FFA Degree are close to home. That is because Cory is the third generation to earn the highest FFA honor.
This story starts when a young aspiring farmer walked across the national stage with 367 other FFA members to receive an award known then as the American Farmer (now known as the American FFA Degree). That young man was Jerry Brown, Cory’s grandfather.
Jerry farmed with his family raising a verity of crops along with poultry, swine, and a dairy herd. He enrolled in the agriculture education program at Verona high school where he served as the FFA chapter vice president and president. He was taught how to weld and do electrical work, as well as modern farming practices at the time. Always a progressive farmer, the same year he received the American Farmer, Jerry raised a corn crop yielding one hundred bushels an acre while the average Wisconsin farmer was producing seventy bushels an acre. This ingenuity and love of farming was soon passed onto his children. That love of agriculture quickly became a passion for his son Brian.
After countless hours of hard work on the farm and his Supervised Agriculture Experience projects in dairy and crops. He also picked up the art of public speaking by competing in the FFA prepared speaking contest in high school. Brian was able to follow in his father’s footsteps and also received the golden key of the American Farmer. Brian has used the knowledge and skills he has acquired in FFA to become a successful farmer as well as an influence in agribusiness. As each new generation comes around, the bar is always set higher, and Cory Brown helped raise it just a little more. After serving as chapter treasurer and president, Cory served as State Vice President for the Wisconsin Association of FFA last year. Working on the family farm, he began and grew his Supervised Agriculture Experience projects in dairy, crops, and beekeeping. With the same pride and passion that his father and grandfather possess Cory also plans on becoming a farmer himself.
It is more than just the highest FFA honor that these three share; Jerry and Brian both attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course, the same program that Cory is attending this year. In addition all three are lifetime members with the FFA Alumni Association, providing support for their local Agriculture Education program.
In agriculture and FFA we hold our heads high when looking upon our history and the people that helped make it happen. Even in our creed we state that we believe the achievements won by present and past generation of agriculturist in the promise of better days though better ways.
For the Brown’s the American FFA Degree is just the beginning of that promise.
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