Carpinteria High FFA grows with students planning college courses and careers in agriculture

Published July 27, 2023 2:52 pm

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – The Carpinteria High School FFA is quickly becoming one of the big education success stories on the South Coast.

Four years ago there were only about seven students in some of the classes. Now, there are 200 taking classes in agriculture out of a campus population of 600.

Instructor Sal Lopez said, "these students can use agriculture as a platform to any career path they would like to be in. " Walking through the campus farm he said, "they see us out here with animals but in the classroom they learning about science, they are learning about mechanics and learning about engineering. "

The campus has live animals, a garden area and a tractor workshop.

In the classroom one student Michaela Morrison said before graduating this year, "I took ag bio, ag chemistry, ag mechanics, veterinary science and ag internship."

Next month they will be engaged in the Ventura County Fair with a display and the student-raised animals will be auctioned off. That money will go back to the students for their education and FFA costs, and for some their college educations coming up.

The community has a strong support for the program with funds often coming in from the California Women for Agriculture, Rotary International, Carpinteria Education Foundation and Lions International.

FFA student Diego Cervantes said he loves learning about animals and the ag industry overall, "animals are very interesting. Farming is big around the globe, mass production of food it's just interesting."

Angel Pineda said being an FFA student with an animal is a daily commitment. "I've had him since November you know that bond, waking up on Christmas or New Years this is the first thing I do. Usually kids open up presents. I would come to make sure this animal is well fed."

These FFA students also have summer jobs and budget their income for their animals.
Oscar Ramirez makes sure he has funding for his goat. "Say I get 600 (dollars) I put 400 here and 200 for myself," he said.

Ome of the students has 50 chickens. Charlie Esquivel has most on campus and some at home.
"Then I incubate them there and after two or three weeks I bring them over here to the farm and they are old enough to stay with the other ones and if I am going to hatch the eggs here, I bring them here so she (the mother hen) can sit on the eggs herself so she can take care of them."

He sells eggs to family members and friends on a regular basis.

Saturday there will be a campus open house from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m.

This will include tours and a chance to see goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens and steers.

John Palminteri