EDHS student wins $1000 FFA grant
After an injury sidelined his plans to become a professional baseball player, East Davidson High School junior Preston Sechrest found a new passion in showing dairy cows, which has led to him receiving a $1,000 grant from the National Future Farmers of America.
The National FFA provides grants for students to use toward their Supervised Agriculture Experience Project, which is planned and conducted by the student. Sechrest was the only high school student in North Carolina to receive one of these grants this year.
Sechrest said about a year and a half ago, he was introduced to showing dairy cows by his FFA teacher, Jordan Leonard. After his first showing at Snider’s Dairy Farm in Lexington a short time later, he said he was hooked.
“After I did that show, I just wanted to keep going,” said Sechrest. “There is a lot to it; a lot of it is about showmanship, how you handle the cow, how you are dressed, how it’s clipped. It’s also about feeding, you don’t want the cow to be too fat or too skinny ... It’s about trying to make the cow look good.”
He said after attending a workshop in August that he made connections with other dairy farmers in the state who asked him to show their animals. In the past several months, he has participated in competitions across the state, including the Davidson County Agricultural Fair and the North Carolina State Fair. Sechrest said he has finished in the top five in almost every category of these competitions and placed sixth at the state fair.
Leonard said she is very proud of how quickly Sechrest learned the ins and outs of showing dairy cattle, which can be more complicated than many realize.
“For him to do as well as he has in such a short time is impressive,” said Leonard. “Most of these kids have been handling cows their entire lives and own their own cows and know every little thing about them. I am just so proud of Preston; he just took it and ran with it. He has a great personality, and the fact complete strangers are willing to let him show their cows is remarkable.”
Sechrest was notified in December that he had been awarded the $1000 grant from the National FFA. His sponsor for the grant was Farm Credit. He said he plans on using the money to purchase a dairy cow of his own and begin building his future.
“I want to go into the John Deere Apprenticeship at Wake Community College and study dairy sciences,” said Sechrest. “I want to have my own dairy cows and have a career somewhere in agriculture.”
Leonard said like many other subjects taught in high school, FFA and its projects enhancing student’s education in agriculture is an integral part of our national economy.
“It is important to realize where our food comes from, to be educated on how 1% of the population is feeding the country. We are so lucky to be able to highlight the importance of agriculture and so proud of Preston. It is a testament to his personality and his hard work.”
This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: EDHS student wins $1000 FFA grant
