During the 95th National Future Farmers of America Convention, students from Pioneer Valley High School traveled to Indianapolis to earn the Gold Standard of Achievement in the FFA organization and one Panther in particular earned a prestigious honor.
Antonio Hernandez, a Pioneer Valley graduate, was named Western Region Champion and runner-up in the nation in the Specialty Crop Production Proficiency Award area.
Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who developed specialized skills in their Supervised Agricultural Experience projects (SAE’s) that they can apply toward their future careers.
Nationally, students can compete for awards in nearly 50 areas ranging from specialty crop production to wildlife management; known as the National FFA. Students record detailed journal and financial entries, account for inventory and develop a portfolio to showcase their project and skill attainment. Students are evaluated on their records, application and through rigorous interviews with industry professionals.
For more than five years, Hernandez has produced his own Indian corn and marigolds on his family's farm and markets them direct-to-consumer. During the fall months, fields of orange and colorful ears of corn are sold to community members and exported across state lines for Dia de Los Muertos.
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Hernandez won the state title last March at the State FFA Convention and competed for National Proficiency Honors this fall. He presented his project on stage and answered questions from industry sponsors during the convention. He is currently attending the Universal Technical Institute on scholarship in the diesel mechanics program so he can better manage his family’s farm equipment in the future.
“I’m proud to represent California, my hometown and my family on the national level,” said Hernandez. “I hope that this award will inspire other students and my younger siblings to pursue these opportunities in the future.”
In addition to Hernandez's success, Pioneer Valley also had five students earn the coveted American FFA Degree.
“As the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization, the American FFA Degree shows an FFA member’s dedication to the FFA Association," the FFA convention wrote to the winners, Marc Cabeliza, Hannah Limon, Jimena Diaz, Andrew Tinoco, and Adela Garcia, who earned their Golden Key to the National FFA Organization.
"All of these students have earned or invested at least $10,000 in their Supervised Agricultural Experiences – ranging from crop production, agricultural education, goat production, and more," the FFA said. "The American FFA Degree recipients show promise for the future and have gone above and beyond to achieve excellence.’’
April Chavez is the Santa Maria City Reporter for the Santa Maria Times. If you have information, or a story idea that you would like to share, send her an email at AChavez@SantaMariaTimes.com.
