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FFA “Early Bird” Plant Sale This Week
Over
3500 flowering annuals and perennials will be on
sale Friday, September 18th (8am-5pm) and
Saturday, September 19th (8am-12pm) at
the Atwater High School Agriculture Department as an
“Early Bird” sale prior to the annual FFA Fall Plant
Sale next month.
The
primary purpose of this sale is to generate funds to
support the Atwater FFA 2009 California State FFA
Champion Horticulture Team as they prepare for the
FFA National Finals competition next month. “We are
in need of raising the final $4000 of the $10,000
needed to fund the trip to Indianapolis, Indiana and
Washington DC in October,” says FFA advisor Beth
Knapp, “This is an opportunity for our students to
represent our community and our state at the
national level.”
A
variety of Marigolds, Snapdragons, Coreopsis,
English Daisy, Verbena, Begonia, and Merced County
Fair award winning ferns will be available to the
community. “All plants are priced to sell,” says
agriculture instructor Dave Gossman, “The students
have put together great quality at a price that is
under what you would find at our local stores and
nurseries.”
The
Atwater High School Agriculture program was recently
awarded and recognized as California’s FIRST
certified high school horticulture program through
the California Association of Nurseries and Garden
centers (CANGC). The certification represents the
quality of horticulture program, curriculum and
facilities, career awareness by students in the
horticulture industry, and encourages students to
continue their education towards a career in
horticulture. “People don’t realize that the
horticulture industry is a multi-billion dollar
industry in the state of California”, said Gossman,
“There are numerous opportunities for students to be
successful in this field of agriculture.”
The
goal of the Atwater FFA is to expand and develop
plant products that meet the community’s needs and
interests. This school year students have been
taking part in horticulture class where they select
and grow their own plants to sell at the school’s
plant sales. The annual FFA Fall Plant Sale is
scheduled for October 9th and 10th.
Profits from the plant sales will go towards
expanding student projects and supporting their
college education.
Written By: Mekayla Coughran, Atwater FFA
September 2009 |
