Last year, the Analy Ag Department was fortunate enough to start up their own sheep unit. Having some ewes donated allowed members to have hands-on learning experience with breeding and caring for sheep. Last month there was quite a lot of excitement in the barn as we welcomed our first baby lamb, a buck we named Jelly. Another ewe recently birthed a set of twins, providing us with the experience of hand feeding lambs and helping to control their body temperature. We are happy to report that all three lambs are doing well and living happily.

At the end of January, 19 FFA members spent two days in Monterey at leadership conferences. The life skills learned at these conferences help members with personal growth and guide them toward future success. Individuals learn to set goals, work in team environments and utilize tools to accomplish tasks. Next month, Ariel Scholten will be joining 74 other seniors at the Sacramento Leadership Experience. This is a huge accomplishment as only the top 75 Seniors are selected to attend this event and discuss government and agricultural policy.

Students are gearing up to attend the state conference this April in Anaheim. There’s a lot of excitement over the prospect of going to Disneyland and having California Adventure open exclusively to the FFA.  

A few weeks ago, Regional Proficiency winners were chosen. Congratulations to Ariel Scholten, Maria Bartlett, Jake Lepori, and Missy Pendleton. Good luck to these four as they compete at the state level!

On February 2nd, eight Sebastopol FFA members went to Tomales High School to participate in the Sectional Speaking Contests. They participated in Creed, Impromptu, Job Interview, Best Informed Greenhand, and Co-Op speaking events. Congratulations to Maddie Collier, Ariel Scholten, Shantel Shaw, Austin Manners, Sophia Bianchi, Kiley Andersen, Olivia Williams, and Kira De Torres.

We are extremely excited to have some of our members apply and be selected to represent our chapter at the State Convention in April for the band and choir. Congratulations to Lauren Asire who will be participating in the State Band and to Tianna Hammoudeh and Bronte Rodriguez-Straub who will be participating in the State Choir.

Congratulations to the eight State Degree recipients: Samantha Caughie, Luke Ciddio, Jacob Lepori, Emily Marcussen, Lauren Murnin, Jaden Varville, Kassidy Watkins, and Calvin Young. This is the highest honor the state of California FFA can bestow upon a member, so this is an impressive feat.

Thank you to our members that helped serve at the Sonoma County Farm Bureau Crab Feed. This is the biggest crab feed in Sonoma County with nearly 1,600 attendees. Everyone worked hard to help support this event.  

Four of our members attended the Livestock Judging contest at the Shone Farm. Congratulations to Austin Maners, Jaden Varville, Ariel Scholten, and Olivia Williams for competing at their first FFA judging contest as a team! They did well and brought home seven medals! Thank you to our coach, Jim Porter, for all his time helping this team succeed!

Stay tuned for some more exciting updates!