Thanks to their community’s unparalleled generosity, members of the Southeast Warren FFA will soon see a dream become reality.
The chapter in Liberty Center, Iowa, built an animal learning center on the school’s campus in 2022, but lacked the funds needed to add a facility that could house large livestock.
“Many of our members are interested in raising livestock, but they don’t always have the land or financial resources to make it happen,” says Southeast Warren FFA advisor Alex Rodgers. “In our animal learning center, students can raise pigs, sheep, goats and other small-to-medium-sized livestock. Unfortunately, it can’t accommodate bigger animals like cattle.”
With this in mind, Brandon Smith, a former Southeast Warren FFA president and founding member of the Southeast Warren FFA Alumni and Supporters chapter, and his wife, Bri Smith,saw an opportunity to give back.
The couple donated a steer to senior chapter member Spencer Wallace, who planned to show and sell the animal at the Warren County Fair in July 2023. Together, they decided to donate all proceeds from the sale to the chapter’s large livestock barn project.
Exponential Interest
“We promoted this as a fundraising effort on social media, hoping to raise around $10,000,” says Brandon Smith, who owns BS Squared Farms in Lacona.
To everyone’s surprise, an anonymous buyer purchased the 1,200-pound steer for $7.50 a pound, totaling $12,225, but the story didn’t end there.
Barry and Amy Tlach of Mid-Iowa Seeds in Indianola purchased the steer from the initial buyer, again paying $7.50 per pound. Next, the steer was sold to Scott James of James Oil Co. in Carlisle for $6.10 per pound.
James sold the steer one final time to the Southeast Warren FFA Alumni and Supporters chapter for $6 a pound, a purchase made possible by supportive community members.
In addition, part of the meat from the steer was sold through a raffle, which raised more than $2,500 that was also donated to the chapter’s barn project. Several FFA members also made donations to help fund the project.
“When it was all said and done, the total amount raised came to $37,000,” Smith says. “This was the highest-selling market animal in the history of the Warren County Fair, and it had nothing to do with the steer itself. Instead, it speaks to how much this chapter means to the community. Mr. Rodgers and these kids are doing great things, and everyone wants to help them continue to succeed.”
In what Rodgers describes as a “full circle moment,” Wallace and the Southeast Warren FFA officer team chose to donate the remainder of the steer meat to the local food pantry to give back to those who supported their chapter.
“It feels pretty surreal,” Rodgers says. “We’re still in awe and can’t thank our community enough for their kindness and generosity. Wenhope when they see the new barn that’s giving our kids so many new opportunities, they’ll know it’s there because of them.”
