FFA is worth celebrating

“Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, living to serve.” — FFA mottoThose words are well known by the nearly 550,000 members of the FFA nationwide who have committed themselves to what is arguably the best-known agricultural student group in history. Formerly known as “Future Farmers of America,” the FFA was founded in 1928 by a group of young farmers. According to its website, their goal was to “prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population .... [which] taught us that agriculture is more than planting and harvesting — it’s a science, it’s a business and it’s an art.”That mission is alive and well in the Pine Plains Central School District, which has done an exemplary job of preserving and promoting the FFA within not only its hallways, but throughout the community. While practically every school district in the Hudson Valley has done away with the FFA, Pine Plains has seen its chapter thrive and students flourish through the program.According to its website, the FFA aims to make “a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education ... and develops interpersonal skills in teamwork, communications, human relations and social interaction.”There is no doubt students who participate in the FFA benefit from doing so. So, too, does the community. That symbiotic relationship was celebrated on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5 and 6, during the Pine Plains FFA Fall Festival. The event is one the entire Harlem Valley looks forward to each and every year. There are always so many great ag-related activities to celebrate at the fair — the only chance for many to get a glimpse of the different facets of agriculture. The festival, and of course the much-beloved parade, bring neighbors, friends and families together for two days of learning and fun.The Pine Plains Central School District should be commended for its steady support of the FFA, and the Board of Education lauded for approving the stipend to back the program — let’s hope they continue to do so in the future. The students who participate in the FFA clearly love it. In fact, they revel in it, and thrive under the leadership of FFA Advisor Christine Mac Neil, who should be praised for her hard work, dedication and obvious talent at running the program.The FFA serves the students well, and also the surrounding community, which was once deeply entrenched in the farming lifestyle. Although the dairy farms that dotted the countryside are now far and few between, the FFA teaches our children about those traditions and how agriculture has grown and changed in the new millennium. Those lessons are worth protecting, and the fact students are interested in learning about them is indeed encouraging. Thankfully the school district also supports the program.All told there’s little doubt that in Pine Plains the FFA is alive and well, keeping plenty busy feeding fertile minds just as adroitly as it does fields and crops.

Latest News

Yellowjackets lose to Hawks in Falls Village

FALLS VILLAGE — The Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic Yellowjackets co-op football team lost 47-14 to the Woodland Regional High School Hawks Saturday, Oct. 5.

Woodland’s explosive speed created breakaway plays on the ground and in the air. Woodland QB Jack Brunetti Brunetti threw for 160 yards and the Hawks’ backfield combined for 298 rushing yards.

Keep ReadingShow less
Economic pressures jeopardize Connecticut's farming future

Marble Valley Farm in Kent leases land from the Kent Land Trust at below-market rates. The model enabled owner Megan Haney to grow her vegetable operation in an otherwise harsh economic climate for Connecticut farmers.

Photo by Sarah Lang

Last month, the USDA’s 2024 Land Values Summary reported that Connecticut has the third most expensive farm real estate in the country (tied with Massachusetts) at two times the northeast average for dollars per acre.

To Chelsea Gazillo, the senior New England policy manager for American Farmland Trust, these numbers reflect a “farmland access and succession crisis” that has impacted the state for “the last 15 years at least.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Amelia R. Wright

Falls Village – Amelia Rosalie (Betti) Wright, 91, of Falls Village died September 30, 2024 at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was the wife of the late Robert Kenneth Wright.

Amelia was born September 6, 1933 in Torrington, CT, daughter of the late Benjamin and Mary Eliza (Passini) Betti. Amelia worked at Camp Isabella Freedman as the Head Housekeeper. She was employed there for 35 years. She attended the Falls Village Congregational Church and had been very active at the Senior Center in Falls Village. She enjoyed collecting. She also enjoyed the craft classes offered by Adult Ed at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School. She enjoyed traveling, especially to the Cape, Vermont and New Hampshire. An avid flower person, Amelia had traveled to the major flower shows in both Boston and Philadelphia.

She is survived by her daughter, Susan Osborn and her husband David of Falls Village, her son, Robert H. Wright of Falls Village and her son, Donald Wright and his wife Kate of Millbrook, NY; her sister, MaryAnn Betti of Falls Village; her grandchildren, Benjamin and Katie Osborn and Jacob Wright. Amelia is also survived by her great grandson, Gunner Osborn. Amelia was predeceased by her brother, Donald Betti.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 5, 2024 in the Mountain View Cemetery, Sand Road, North Canaan, CT. Calling hours will be held at the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, 118 Main Street, North Canaan, CT 06018 on Friday, October 4, 2024 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Falls Village Volunteer Ambulance Association, 188 US-7 South, Falls Village, CT. 06031

Fashion and fun mark a century of service

Tom Barret shows off some Rummage Sale finds.

Natalia Zukerman

On Saturday, Sept. 28, the Cornwall Woman’s Society hosted its 100th anniversary celebration at Mohawk Mountain ski lodge.

“This celebration is to thank the people of Cornwall for their support and to celebrate the 100 years that the Woman’s Society has contributed to Cornwall and to needs near and far,” said Nancy Barr, co-chair of the Cornwall Woman’s Society (CWS).

Keep ReadingShow less