Crater High students cultivate Christmas spirit at the FFArm
Dec. 10—Video by Blake Helmken
Morning slipped into afternoon and the clouds parted Saturday as students in the Crater High School chapter of Future Farmers of America were undaunted by the wet weather as they unveiled their fifth annual expression of agronomic Christmas joy.
At the Crater Land Lab — "the FFArm" — at 5040 Upton Road in Central Point, Christmas charm was available in variety, and will be for one more day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday.
A stand of Christmas trees for sale lent their unmistakable smell to the air a few steps away from a crackling fire pit where visitors stopped to warm their hands. Nearby, an indoor craft market featured the hard work of students — jewelry, baby clothes, ornaments, fudge and cookies.
"All the proceeds go back to the chapter to help us with future trips for state conventions. Last year we took about 20 kids, and to do more events like this to give back to the community because we have a really strong relationship," said Haylie Jones, vice president of the Crater High FFA chapter.
A petting zoo captivated small children with soft bunnies available for cuddling, along with a donkey, sheep, goats and three little piglets. Hands extended toward the piglets' gate were greeted with snorts of curiosity and amiable tail wagging. The piglets enjoyed scratches of their bristly fur right between the eyes.
In addition to the daytime festivities, a live nativity was held Wednesday and Thursday, featuring their menagerie of animals, with an accompanying sock and underwear drive. Soon, Jones said, they'll have FFArm fresh pork.
"We also do some pork baskets for families in need in our community, pork that we raised ourselves as a chapter along with some canned goods," she said.
Those little piggies will go all the way to the national show in Arizona with the students who reared them, before becoming pork in a basket.
The FFArm fun starts at the driveway, where visitors are immediately face to face with Doc and Shocktop, two dromedary — single-hump — camels.
"When his winter coat comes in, he has a mohawk exactly like the one on the beer label," said Dillan McGranaham of Shocktop.
His father's business, Pacific Northwest Camel Company, has been a popular addition to the annual Christmas at the FFArm, offering not only the spectacle of the noble ungulates, but the chance to ride them around the field.
"He hates bananas, Shocktop does. All the rest like 'em. They like apple treats, they like Cheetos, they like Fritos, but mostly they eat hay — like a cow," he said.
Each camel is an individual with high intelligence and a big personality, explained Mason Collard, an employee with the camel company. But they're also desert creatures capable of feats of adaptability when necessary. They can adjust their body temperatures through a wide range, find a watering hole if they've known it once, and contrary to common myth, their humps store 100 pounds of fat, not water.
Camel rides will be available Sunday, the last day of this year's Christmas at the FFArm.
Jones is a senior this year. Looking back on her high school years with the FFA, she said she valued the organization's capacity for unifying and refining its members.
"It brings people together. It brings out the best in people. When I came into FFA, I was very shy — I was very reserved. Over the years, becoming an officer and being put in leadership roles where you have to direct to other people, you have to give back, you have to talk. It helps you expand on those skills and learn what you want do in life," she said.
Reach Mail Tribune reporter Morgan Rothborne at mrothborne@rosebudmedia.com or 541-776-4487. Follow her on Twitter @MRothborne.
