HEDGESVILLE — Hedgesville High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program invited members of the Berkeley County Board Office and Berkeley County Meals on Wheels on Friday to come see what it is working on.
Located on Cumbo Road, the FFA has a growing farm, where it sells and donates fresh vegetables, eggs, meat, honey and more.
Kasey Payne is a senior at Hedgesville High School and is in her fourth year in the FFA program. She is the chapter reporter and is also responsible for working with the animals and livestock kept on the small farm.
Through FFA, she can experience everything that would be done on a regular farm and get hands-on experience that can prepare her for a future career in agriculture.
“We’ve always had a lot of help and support from the community,” Payne said. “We want to give back where we can.”
For around three years, the FFA has partnered with organizations like Berkeley County Meals on Wheels by donating fresh produce. These donations help people in the community, as Meals on Wheels provides 1,000 meals every week to people in need.
Meals on Wheels Executive Director Dianne Waldron shared that thanks to the FFA, the organization can provide customers with fresh produce. The FFA provides potatoes, carrots, onions, kale, lettuce, beets, radishes and so much more.
“Their energy is to be admired,” Waldron said. “This is something they are doing out of the goodness of their hearts and their love of farming. It can only help the community. We are so thankful they chose to help Meals on Wheels.”
However, FFA doesn’t just teach students about farming. Natosha Puffenburger, substitute teacher for FFA, explained that students also learn about the business side of things as they sell what they grow. Students also built many of the structures themselves, including the chicken coop and pig pen. Looking forward, they hope to have a few cows and build a farmers market, where people in the community can buy what they need.
Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Ryan Saxe and Deputy Superintendent Matthew Woods joined the students on a tour of the farm, asking questions about what the students of put together.
At the end of the tour, Saxe commended the students and said how proud he was to see everything they’d accomplished.
“I’m so glad we have this in Berkeley County,” Saxe said. “What you are doing here is a showcase to the state of the amazing things FFA can do."