Future Farmers of America (FFA) started in Potosi Schools in 1962. There have been years when there was no charter chapter because there was no agriculture teacher, such as during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
Mr. Uppena took over the program in 1998. Soil judging began with Mr. Uppena. His team qualified for Nationals for the first time in 2000. Since then, the program has seen continued success in soil judging.
The greenhouse was built when Mr. Uppena was in charge of the program. The original greenhouse was built by Mr. Olsen and his biology class in the spring of 1998. The wood base was rotting away, and the outside plastic needed to be replaced. The current greenhouse was built in the fall of 2017 from budget money the school district had left at the end of the school year. It was used for the first time in the spring of 2018.
There have been many changes over the years for FFA. Mrs. Brunton is the current FFA adviser. Students who are in FFA take the ag classes offered at school. She said, “One big change is that the ag classes went from only being offered half-time to being offered full-time when I started teaching here.” Students at Potosi High School can now take multiple classes through the FFA program. Some of these courses count as dual credit, so students can earn credit for both high school and college. The FFA gives back to the community by growing flowers in the spring for the Potosi Chamber of Commerce to use around town to decorate.
To keep the program successful, Mrs. Brunton said, “I get kids interested in joining and get them involved.” There are currently 78 students involved in the FFA. Fundraisers are held to provide opportunities for these students. “Each year we do the fruit and poinsettia sale, the strawberry sale, and the greenhouse sale,” said Mrs. Brunton.
This organization has been around for a long time and continues to help students become successful.