HARRINGTON — Coming off a solid showing at the Delaware State Fair, Sussex Central High School’s chapter of the National FFA Organization is alive, well and growing.
As evidence, the group offers numerous pathway options and middle school feeder programs.
“I think it’s pretty strong,” said adviser Brandon McCabe, an agriscience instructor at the school. “I think the strength in Delaware is that it is strong, with multifacets with it. The pathways in the education part of it are a wide range of plants, animals, construction, welding and a few other ones. The FFA competitions and what we do are around the same thing.”
And, these days, not only “future farmers” are participating.
“Are most of our kids going to end up on a farm? No,” said Kasey Revel, another adviser and agriscience teacher. “And that is the beautiful part of FFA and National FFA and how it has progressed and how it has evolved. You don’t have to be a farmer when you are in FFA. You don’t have to be a male, either.”
There is also an element of diversity.
“And just how diverse our chapter is — I would say that is also a big thing that makes us stand out, many ethnicities and cultures, and also, we (have) students with disabilities in FFA,” said Ms. Revel, who was Indian River School District’s 2022-23 Teacher of the Year. “Kids can take our class, and that’s our goal, not just as FFA advisers but also as ag teachers and (career and technical education) teachers. ... We want them to find what they are passionate about and help them be successful and realize that.”
Animal science instructor Terra Eby, in her sixth year at Sussex Central, said the program is about building relationships with students and “understanding what interests them and trying to pair and match that ... not only in competition but (as) an opportunity that our students can have in getting them to make a team out of it and build other friendships with students, (which) they might not have done if it wasn’t for FFA and that opportunity.”
Last year, as many as 1,500 students at the school had connections to the FFA program.
Plus, “we’re adding another pathway, Natural Resources, this year, so we’re estimating it will be over 1,550-1,600 kids that we will see,” Mr. McCabe said.
Feeder programs at Georgetown and Millsboro middle schools also bolster Central’s program, while Selbyville Middle School supports Indian River High School’s initiative.
Dr. Susan Quillen is an adviser for Millsboro Middle’s FFA instruction, which included about 85 sixth through eighth graders in 2023-24.
“Our role is to, obviously, support the pathways that are at the high school. I try my hardest to expose my students to as many career development events and CTE competitions as possible,” she said.
Because Millsboro Middle is in town limits, there are no animals on-site. But that will likely change in 2025, when the new Sussex Central High opens and the middle school moves into the current high school.
“Right now, we are very plant-heavy — a lot of landscaping and floriculture,” Dr. Quillen said. “Students (are) required to maintain plants located in all classrooms to improve air quality.”
Additionally, middle schoolers study introduction to FFA in sixth grade, leadership in seventh and parliamentary procedures in eighth.
In Sussex Central’s chapter, reporter Sam Trusty joined the group last year, as a sophomore. She was interested in its gingerbread house project and signed up for floriculture and the band component, as well.
“I learned a lot about plants and taking care of them, which is really helpful because I work a job at a garden center,” she said.
Of course, there are students like Joshua McCabe (the nephew of Brandon), whose families have agricultural roots. Entering his sophomore year at Central, Joshua has been in FFA since eighth grade.
“My family has been in it since probably the 1950s. My grandfather has been sponsoring it since he has been able to,” he said. “I’ve lived on a farm my entire life, deeply rooted. We have about 1,000 acres.”
His family owns a farm in Millsboro and two in Nebraska that are rented. “I have worked on the farm since I was a kid. It runs in blood,” he said.
At the state fair, Joshua participated in the tractor safe-driving competition. He’s been using such vehicles since he was 8 or 9.
After high school, he plans to attend Universal Technical Institute in Pennsylvania to study diesel technology.
“Things are becoming more complicated with tractors. Technology is constantly evolving. You have to keep updated with it. That’s how you survive in farming,” Joshua said. “And I hope to come back and, hopefully, keep farming.”
He and his fellow FFA students earned a number of honors at the fair, including in landscape display, horticulture, livestock, dairy handling and horses.
In addition, the school’s program incorporates community service and leadership workshops.
“Since COVID and just, like, in general, students struggle with going out for a job interview,” Ms. Revel said. “We’re just trying to prepare them for life. We’re just trying to make them good human beings in the world.”
Staff writer Glenn Rolfe can be reached at grolfe@iniusa.org.
Follow @glennrolfeBTBN on X.
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