When Murdock Wynn started his FFA experience with the Colquitt County FFA Chapter in Norman Park, Ga., it was an opportunity he was well prepared for.
“My brother and sister, they were both very active in FFA when they were older, so I’ve grown up knowing all of the ag teachers … that I would have,” Wynn said.
He grew up on his family’s Wynn Farms, which is home to 2,500 sows, 50 cows and 20 market goats. He stepped into a more involved role on the farm as he focused on his placement supervised agricultural experience (SAE) there.
“When I was younger, I just did minimal skills such as feeding the sows and record keeping and feeding the cows,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve progressed to doing harder tasks such as administering vaccines and medication, and I’ve learned to artificially inseminate sows and cows. And I can administer ultrasounds to sows to check for pregnancies.”
He said his high school agriculture classes helped him succeed in his SAE, particularly when he studied ag marketing and animal science, learning useful information about the business side of production agriculture.
Now, Wynn studies agribusiness at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and aims to take that knowledge back to Wynn Farms to cultivate a career in livestock production with a goal to diversify the farm.
“Knowing that I’m part of that small percent of America that’s still on a family-owned operation and growing up and being around it my whole life, I’ve just always had a very strong appreciation and will to want to continue doing it,” he said.
For current FFA members, Wynn shared some sage advice for SAE management: “As soon as you join FFA and start your SAE, you need to keep very, very diligent and accurate records.”
