Alumni Association invests in future generations of farmers

When many people think of Future Farmers of America (FFA), they naturally envision how the organization prepares middle and high school students for successful careers in agriculture. What does not often immediately come to mind, however, is how one may continue to be involved with FFA beyond graduation: the FFA Alumni Association. The Alumni Association plays an important role in ensuring that Hart County students are equipped to explore a potential farming career, consider a general budding interest in agriculture, or even simply express a love for animals.

Russ Mize, president of the Hart County FFA Alumni Association since 2016 (and owner of Farmers Insurance in Hartwell since 2019), explained that the Alumni Association, a 501 (c) (3) organization, is the "booster club" for FFA. (Along with helping students explore their interests in farming, FFA also provides other opportunities regarding career readiness.)

"Anyone can be a member of the Alumni Association," Mize explained. "You don't have to be in Hart County, you don't have to ever have set foot in an Ag class. [You don't even have to be a farmer.] All you have to do is be willing to help fundraise We give [the students] money to go places, to go to conferences and pay for their meals."

Mize has lived in Hart County "on and off" throughout his whole life and went to high school in Hart County; however, he was not in FFA in high school. As a student, Mize had an inkling of interest in farming because his grandparents had a farm, but his interest in the organization was not particularly piqued. Still, he ended up buying his wife's grandparents' farm, and kept cattle.

His involvement in FFA came about years later because of his daughter, Rachel. When she was in third grade, she came home one day and told him she wanted to show a goat. He was hesitant initially, because they didn't have any. However, Rachel was determined to persuade her father and invited him to go to a friend's house to watch them practice showing goats.

"Even in third grade she seemed to be pretty [interested]," Mize told The Sun. "She listens well and loves animals. So, we bought a goat."

This particular goat show was through 4-H; they then went to Perry for the state show. The father-daughter duo loved the experience so much that they didn't want to wait another year to show the goat again, so they bought a pig for an upcoming show; when a cow show came along, they borrowed a cow so they could participate in that as well. As Rachel later got involved in FFA, Mize continued to help her with livestock shows and likewise became more involved in the Alumni Association.

In 2016, Mize became president of the Hart County FFA Alumni Association, knowing his daughter would be involved in FFA until she graduated. His new responsibilities included 10 to 12 meetings per year, fundraising for food for the yearly FFA banquet, and holding shows three Saturdays per year. The students' FFA advisors share what their needs are-typically funds-and the Alumni Association works to meet those needs.

The Alumni Association has accomplished some particularly notable fundraising feats. After the AgriScience Center opened in 2017, it still needed livestock pens. From January until July, about 20 to 30 members of the Alumni Association raised $150, 000-mostly by phone calls-in time for the first goat show there two months later. After Mize's first stint as president, he volunteered for the position again.

Mize's decision to nurture Rachel's interest in animals was an investment that has paid off-today, Rachel has graduated, has two cows of her own, and is still considering a farming-related career. Additionally, participating in FFA and the FFA Alumni Association has been a bonding experience for them.

"If your kids play sports, that's an after-school thing Once they get into middle school and high school it's totally hands-off. But animal showing is totally different," Mize told The Sun. "There is no dropping the kids off. [You're] helping feed and clip the animals You're helping them, you transport them to and from the shows, you're their cheerleaders It's very, very parents and kidsoriented. There's a lot of bonding It is very timeconsuming, but there's only one time to go through and do it."

For Mize, the benefits of FFA and the Alumni Association were two-pronged: he was able to spend more time with his daughter, and invest in other students also interested in agriculture. The Alumni Association's hard work helps ensure that farming will remain integral to the county's economy for years to come, as today's students are taught the importance of the industry. "We [still are] a farming community," Mize stated. "There have been changes [in Hart County] but I feel like agriculture still brings in more money than anything." The work of the FFA Alumni Association, and the efforts of members like Mize, continues to sow seeds of future generations