OFI 2006: The Accidental FFA Member Entrepreneur | FFA SAE Edition | Lilly Cappitte | Big Walnut High School FFA

Lilly Cappitte is her chapter’s president, a business owner and a gregarious agriculturist, but it wasn’t always this way.  Growing up in her blended household, Lilly did not have anyone expressing any agricultural influence on her.  Nobody in the family worked in agriculture or was trying to move back to a farm or anything like that.

When Lilly was in her second semester of her sophomore year of high school she took a veterinary science course because she was interested in animals.  This was taught by one of the FFA advisors, and it automatically enrolled her in the chapter.  One day, her teacher approached her and asked her if she would be willing to be on a plant science team to help out.  They were one person short, and without a full team they could not compete.  Lilly said yes, went to the competition and ended up doing very well on the individual level.

Since that competition, Lilly has caught fire in the FFA and has served as an officer twice.  She has also started her own flower business, selling flowers at the farmer’s market as well as to friends and classmates for dances.  She also took a job on a farm helping to teach children about agriculture.  She is planning on getting a degree in agriculture, and she is totally in on agriculture!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Flower Arrangement Business

HIGH SCHOOL: Big Walnut High School, Sunbury, Ohio

MASCOT: Eagles

FFA ADVISOR: Jeffrey Stimmell

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LILLY CAPPITTE:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Big Walnut High School’s website:

Lilly’s FFA Advisor’s Email Address: jeffstimmell@bwls.net

Big Walnut High School District Telephone: 740-965-3010

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:

“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue

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