This Week’s Song Of The Week Is: Summertime by Kenny Chesney!

SHOW NOTES

Introducing Mary Elias! 

When it comes to supervised agricultural experiences advisors and myself frequently use the terms “traditional” and “non-traditional”.  Traditional usually refers to a student raising animals, breeding animals and selling offspring.  Although, as an advisor recently pointed out to me, this is becoming more “non-traditional.”

Today’s guest is raising, breeding and selling animals but I would consider her SAE pretty “non-traditional” in spite of this.  Mary Elias found a passion for snakes, and now she is breeding and preparing to sell their offspring.  She has already contacted retailers and received interest all around her state of California.

Currently Mary is raising ball pythons, corn snakes and Burmese pythons.  Her Burmese is named “Reesy” and in just over 1 year she has grown from 2 feet long to 13 feet long with a diameter the size of an average person’s thigh.

Mary feeds Reesy chickens and rabbits.  What an absolutely fascinating project.  Wait until you hear her talk about snakes.  She really knows her stuff!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Snake Breeding And Sales

HIGH SCHOOL: Lincoln High School; Lincoln, Californi

MASCOT: Zebras

FFA ADVISOR: Morgan Perry

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MARY ELIAS:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Lincoln High School Website:

Mary’s FFA Advisor’s Email Address:  mperry@wpusd.k12.ca.us

Lincoln High School Telephone Number:  916.645.6360

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE’s)

Support FFA 

Donate to FFA – One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000.  In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants.  With your donations, more students can get this head start – pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

• Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world.  FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
• Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation.  The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
• Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store:

“Because American farmers are able to provide for so many of us, they give more and more of us the freedom to pursue goals and livelihoods beyond growing the food we need to survive.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack 

LISTEN TO US ON SATELLITE RADIO!

WE ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO “FFA TODAY” ON RURAL RADIO SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 147!  “FFA Today” airs on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147 Saturdays at 7:30 AM Eastern and Sundays at 6:30 PM Eastern. Please let RURAL RADIO know that you like hearing us on their channel!  Here is how to contact them and leave feedback: Email: zacht@rfdtv.com Website:  RuralRadio147.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/RURALRADIO147