Agriculture continues to blossom and grow in High School

When the academic year began in September 2022 at Groton Jr./Sr. High School (GHS), its new agriculture (AG) teacher in the STEAM Learning Center and advisor to the Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter, Chelsey Mahany, said she “wakes up every morning ready to teach the next generation of future agriculturists,” and that her plans for her students were not merely hopes and dreams, but goals. 

A more in-depth look at Mahany’s background and beginnings at GHS may be found in the Jan. 4, 2023 issue of this column, but with the end of this academic year less than three months away, she is understandably proud of the work her students have been doing and the experiences they’ve had.  

On the teaching side of things, Mahany has been teaching Botany and Intro to AG. 

 In Botany, students began learning best management practices as well as container choices, soil types and what grows best where, pest management, weed identification, parts of a plant and plant reproduction, which prepared them well for their most recent endeavor.  

 “We’ve sorted tons of seeds donated by Jackie Baxendell and are ready to get some seeds in the soil,” Mahany said, “and we thank the Groton Agriculture Advisory Board for purchasing our soil. We should have plenty of vegetables and flowers ready for gardens and available for purchase at the district budget vote on May 16, so mark your calendar!”   

 Students in Intro to AG have made chicken barn models and learned about soil horizons, the water cycle, the life cycle of a chicken, what it takes to be a poultry farmer and more. 

 “We also received a shipment of rare breed chicken eggs from Meyer Hatchery out of Ohio for our incubator,” Mahany said, “and we also have 10 Maran and two ISA brown pullets in the classroom that are helping us learn how to raise small livestock and what animals need to thrive and grow in our care.” 

 Along with building and strengthening their club through meetings and activities, holding fundraisers and assisting with the Groton Farmer Challenge Agriculture Trivia Night and Silent Auction, FFA members have traveled to different events and conferences. 

Addie Clore, Stella Holl, Rachel Houston, De’Anna Mackey, Noble Snyder and Josie Ross competed in the FFA District 7 competition in February.  

“They all did a phenomenal job with their projects and public speaking, and we couldn’t be more proud,” Mahany said. “Addie Clore also participated in Sub States on March 18 at the Cayuga- Onondaga BOCES in Auburn. We are so proud of her for participating in both Senior Prepared Speaking and Junior Creed. She did a great job and represented us well.” 

As it happened, the Sub State competition occurred one day after Clore’s birthday. Her grandparents, Ron Jr. and Ivy Space, who own Groton’s Millbrook Farms, had just given Clore her very own registered Jersey cow named Tyme, which allowed her to become a member of the American Jersey Cattle Association. All of that undoubtedly put an extra smile on her face as she competed the next day. 

Clore has been around cows for as long as she can remember because her mom, Callan Space, and her dad, Jason Clore, help oversee the farm alongside Callan’s parents, Ivy and Ron.  

In fact, Addie became a Tompkins County Dairy Ambassador at age 12 in 2020, and she is a member of the 4-H Club, where she shows cows. She is a charter member of Groton’s FFA since it was brought back to life in August 2019 after its hiatus since 1972. She serves as vice president of the chapter. 

 Addie is also very involved at GHS participating in soccer, indoor and outdoor track,band, chorus, drama club, Tri-M Society and Student Council. She is also enrolled in the Early College High School program, which she says is “a good reinforcement for public speaking and mannerisms I have already learned from FFA and the Dairy Princess program.”  

 At the FFA District 7 competition, Addie took second place in the Junior Creed Speaking and sixth in the Senior Prepared Speaking contests. She said she did very well at Sub States, but that the competition was elevated there with so many more competitors, and she explained what is involved in competing.   

“For the Junior Creed, you have to memorize the FFA Creed [258 words], and it must be recited exactly in front of three judges,” Addie said. “Then, they ask questions based on the creed. You are judged by all of that, plus eye contact, no fidgeting, and using your hands only if it is a thoughtful purpose for your presentation.” 

Addie then described the Senior Prepared Speaking contest, which involves the FFA member choosing a topic that pertains to a challenge in agriculture and speaking about it for six to eight minutes.  

“I chose ‘The Disconnect Between Farmers and Consumers’ as my topic,” Addie said. “The judges all have copies, and it must be fully memorized. You can get deductions on your score for going off script in any way, for going under or over time, nervous behaviors or lack of eye contact. Then they have five minutes to ask questions about your speech.” 

Addie was also part of the nominating committee for president of FFA Districts 5 and 7, a role which she said she hopes to achieve someday herself, and then become a New York state (NYS) FFA officer.  

Groton FFA students are looking ahead to the NYS convention in May. Competitions there will be Career Development Event (CDE) and Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE), where students team up to compete in groups of two or more.  

Addie will team up with Jill Zigenfus for cow comfort and showing cows in the SAE. She said that all of the students are still working on choosing topics for their CDE.  

Mahany added that she tentatively has put together a team for the FFA CDE Meats Evaluation that is being held in Cobleskill on April 21, and she is also looking forward to the NYS convention. She encourages anyone who might like to sponsor a student or make a donation to reach out to her at cmahany@grotoncs.org.  

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or contact Linda at 607-227-4922 (text preferred).  

In brief: 

Spaghetti supper 

The Groton City United Church of Christ, 47 Groton City Rd., will hold one of its famous spaghetti suppers on Saturday, April 22 from 4 p.m. until gone. The supper includes great spaghetti, tossed salad, bread, beverage and dessert. Cost is a freewill offering. The church is handicapped accessible, and all are welcome.  

Library news  

The GPL Book Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20. The current book is “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. For more information call 607-898-5055 or email director@grotonpubliclibrary.org.   

The annual meeting of the GPL Board of Trustees will be held on Tuesday, April 25, and is open to the public. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. The polls open at 7:30 p.m. for trustee elections and budget vote. Polls close at 8 p.m.  

The annual meeting of the Friends of the Groton Public Library will be held on Thursday, April 27 at 7 p.m.  

Groton Story Walk  

The Groton Story Walk has been updated for spring with “Plants Feed Me” by Lizzy Rockwell. This is a fun book that explores the plants that feed us – flowers, fruits, seeds and all! This is a great book to share with little ones who are interested in where our food comes from. Go check it out on the trail behind Groton Memorial Park.