By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor
Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses. Students from three central Idaho FFA chapters had that opportunity when they visited the Tyler Rose Garden in East Texas.
Each year, students from the small Idaho towns of Aberdeen, Challis and Mackay travel together to the National FFA Organization’s convention.
Along the way, they tour a variety of agricultural businesses, farms and entities they may not see in their home state. This year, the group made several stops in the Lone Star State.
“We’ve been doing this for around 41 years now,” Aberdeen High School agricultural science teacher Cody Park said. “We take a different cross-country route each year to give our students a chance to see different ag sectors and things they wouldn’t probably otherwise experience.”
About 40 students made the trip. They visited Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee before heading to Indiana for the convention.
Students visited with Mark Chamblee, Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) vice president, at the Tyler Rose Garden. Chamblee, who owns and operates a rose-growing business, visited with the group about nursery and greenhouse production.
“They were a little mystified by growing roses, since they don’t have the nursery and greenhouse industry in their area,” Chamblee said.
Smith County Farm Bureau President Malcolm Williams and TFB Nursery and Greenhouse Commodity Chairman Bob Cartwright also showed the visitors the Tyler Rose Garden and local operations.
“They’re troopers. They’re on a grueling trip with multiple stops in several states,” Chamblee said. “They’re covering a lot of ground, but they were polite and asked questions and showed their interest in our industry.”
The Idahoans also visited Wichita Falls and Fort Worth. Tyler was the last stop in Texas before heading to Louisiana earlier this week.
The main commodities in the area of Idaho where the students live are potatoes, sugar beets and beef cattle.
“Two of the schools have greenhouses, but the kids didn’t realize growing plants commercially could be an agricultural career path, too,” Park said.
Viewing the rose garden and nursery operations showed the students other ways agriculture is entwined in daily life, he said.
It also gives them ideas for careers in agriculture that may not look like those they grew up with. Park said that’s why these trips are so important.
“We just want to show them how broad the scope of agriculture really is,” he said.
Kiddos to these Idaho Ag teachers for going one step above and giving their students an eye-opening experience! So elated to hear about this venture! Agriculture is so diversified and our future in agriculture lies on the backs of our upcoming generation! Keep up the great work!