A farming future: Students get a look at ag life at Spokane Ag Show

SPOKANE — The Spokane Ag Show is one of the largest trade shows in the Northwest. For the first two days, it looks like any other big expo: booths with every product under the sun, breakout sessions on the technical aspects of the business in various classrooms. But the third and final day is FFA Day, and the Spokane Convention Center is awash with Future Farmers of America students in blue jackets learning everything they can about one of the country’s most vital occupations. 

The event started with a keynote speaker chosen to give young farmers and farmers-to-be a good look at the work that’s ahead of them. The students then passed through a career fair with displays by colleges and potential employers, and finally out into the convention center at large to check out the exhibits.

“The Ag Show has the top-of-the-line, newest things that come out of ag for the year,” said Nick Haight, FFA advisor for Othello High School. “They show off all the companies, so the kids get to make community industry connections with that. Seniors and juniors like to introduce themselves and see what’s out there for the next coming years.”

“We have freshmen who have not even thought of college their first year in high school,” said Brooke Stutzer, who was representing Washington State University at the career fair. “And then we have seniors; I’ve talked to a few students that have committed and are confirmed at WSU, who are going to be future Cougs. It’s a very diverse group to work with and be able to talk to them about the opportunities in college.”

WSU’s offerings ran a wide gamut, Stutzer said, including ag technology, textiles, merchandising, economic services and other activities that tie into the larger world of farming.

Out in the expo, students were getting some more immediate opportunities.

“I was at a booth earlier and I was just talking to somebody, and the guy next to me offered me an internship,” said Cassie Weber of Sprague. “Seriously, he was like, ‘I like your personality, so reach out if you want an internship for, like, assistant managing stuff like that.’ 

Weber wasn’t certain she really wanted to pursue an ag career, however.

“My entire childhood has been FFA-based,” she said. “I grew up on a homestead. We have animals. We’ve got plants at our house. But I want to go into hospitality and business management, something where I get to meet a lot of people (and do) stuff like this. I love it.”

“I’ve been invited to multiple internships,” said Addie Russell of Deer Park, who was tossing plastic axes at an exhibitor display with her classmate Laura West. “I’m getting my bachelor’s in biology and my family lives on a small farm, so I’m potentially coming back.”

“I found looking at all the different seeds and the ways that they are growing and fertilizing plants interesting,” West said. “I’m going to college, probably for teaching, but I’m in a floral class now, and I like to garden, and I like doing stuff with floral arrangements.”

About 30% of the students who come to FFA day are seriously looking for a career, Haight said. He wasn’t one of them when he came as a high school senior, but he did get a job offer anyway, from Del Monte Seed Company. Even the students who aren’t actively looking will learn something, he said.

“All the vendors are really nice to talk to the kids, explain what they’re doing, and ask the kids what part of ag they come from,” he said. “Because everybody from Washington can be here. You can have kids from Pullman doing dry land (farming), in Moses Lake they’re doing irrigated potatoes and onions. (There are students from) over in the timber country. They get all forms of ag over here.”