OFI 1255: Beginning You Herd With A Heifer | FFA SAE Edition | Shayla Russell | Absarokee High School FFA

One of the great things about hosting this podcast is that I get to speak with people in every stage of development in their agricultural journeys.  Today, I am proud to speak with Shayla Russell.  Shayla is just beginning her sophomore year of high school in a beautiful part of Montana, and she is just beginning the development of her own cattle herd.

A few years back Shayla was gifted a heifer by her grandparents, and she went to work halter breaking her and getting her ready for the fair.  Then, she had that heifer bred and got a nice calf out of her.  That is only one of the ways in which Shayla is growing her herd however.  Shayla is wise enough to look for opportunities to help her grow, and she has found a couple of places that she could apply to that are giving away heifers to promote interest in agriculture and help out young people.  She has already won one of those heifers, and is waiting on the results of a second application.

Shayla is really taking advantage of today by participating in the FFA and playing sports in the fall, winter and spring at high school.  However, she is wise enough to keep her eyes on the horizon as well, and she has some long term goals including being president of her chapter, continuing to grow her cattle herd and becoming a veterinarian.  Shayla has a vision of always raising cattle for the rest of her life, and that makes me smile!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production

HIGH SCHOOL: Absaroekee High School, Absarokee, Montanna

MASCOT: Huskees

FFA ADVISOR: Robert Yates

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SHAYLA RUSSELL:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Absarokee High School website:

Shayla’s FFA Advisors’ Email Address: yatesr@absarokee.k12.mt.us

Arabia Mountain High School’s Telephone Number: 406-328-4581

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 

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