Conrad FFA member Alyson Leach completes a practicum in the veterinary science section of the seminar.
Conrad, Mont., is a small town of 2,000 people and located 50 miles away from Great Falls. In this small town, members’ love for FFA grows abundantly through their events and seminars.
Conrad FFA is known for the Conrad Crops and Mechanics Seminar. The annual seminar started about 40 years ago, and 28 FFA chapters from towns like Choteau, Huntley Project and Wibaux traveled to attend this year.
The seminar is made possible through volunteer work and community donations. Conrad FFA credits the event’s success to support from volunteers and local organizations, including Arrow Peak Construction, Bains Plumbing, Crop Variety Section, Dr. Jaylen Harris and many more, who have donated their time and money.
Members who participate in this event attend a morning seminar that teaches them about all aspects of agriculture, from welding to crop science. These lessons are taught by area professionals who volunteer their time and actively demonstrate the FFA Motto of “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live and Living to Serve.”
For example, Travis Walter of the Bains Plumbing Company, alongside Conrad FFA Alumni Secretary Anna Walter, runs the plumbing section of the seminar. Bains Plumbing Company teaches attendees not only the basics of plumbing but also aspects of carpentry.
Volunteers like the Walters have spent their lives becoming professionals in their career paths. Many of the volunteers who started the seminar are still running it today! Through “Doing to Learn,” these professionals teach the material they’ve learned through their careers to the seminar members.
Devin McClayland, the Conrad High School agriculture teacher and Conrad FFA advisor, has hosted the seminar for two years and plans to continue it. He believes the future of agriculture is in the hands of his small town.
“It’s really amazing to see the impact this agricultural education program and alumni group have made on the community,” he says. “It’s even more amazing that they give back to these students and show them career options with the knowledge they have to share.”
This seminar impacts students in more ways than one. For example, Conrad FFA member Jake Vermulm said, “It’s cool to compete at your own school. It’s a really good experience whether you do vet science, mechanics or agronomy.”
The Conrad FFA Chapter is proud to host the Conrad Crops and Mechanics Seminar annually and plans to continue this nearly 40-year tradition.
