OFI 1021: It’s Never Too Late For Excellence | FFA SAE Edition | Brooklin Drake | Marathon High School FFA

Off-Farm Income

Subscribe To Our Weekly Email INTRODUCING BROOKLIN DRAKE: Today's guest has so much passion, enthusiasm, and fire for the FFA that you would never guess that her first two years in the organization were spent being basically inactive. Brooklin Drake came into the FFA simply by taking agriculture classes in high school in her small agricultural community in central New York State. She was kind of a member by default, and she never really pursued anything. But, her first trip to the New York State FFA Convention changed all of that. Brooklin cannot really put the finger on what it was about the convention that motivated her so much. What is clear is that she caught fire once the convention took place. From that point, at the end of her sophomore year, she has been on a very rapid, upward trajectory. As a senior in high school, Brooklin is now her district's president, and she is strongly considering a run for a state officer position. She has started a supervised agricultural experience called "Drake's Pumpkin Patch," and she sells pumpkins, gourds, and mums on the side of the road in a stand that she built. She is also a recipient of two grants for a total of $1500 to develop her business even further. Things don't necessarily come naturally to Brooklin, however. Her first year of growing her pumpkin patch was an utter failure, and she didn't sell any. However, she didn't focus on the negative. The next year, she was determined to do better, which led to her roadside stand and a lot of pumpkin sales. And, the result of all of this? A $1,000 donation to her very own FFA chapter. SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Drake's Pumpkin Stand HIGH SCHOOL: Marathon High School, Marathon, NY MASCOT: Olympians FFA ADVISOR: Crystal Aukema CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BROOKLIN DRAKE: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Marathon High School website: Brooklin's FFA Advisors' Email Address: [e-mail] Marathon High School's Telephone Number: 607-849-3251 FFA LINKS: National FFA Organization Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's) Support FFA Donate to FFA - FFA students can start small businesses through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward. REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA: Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% and the rest of the world. FFA provides the needed education, training, and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food. Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth. Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the food search is as simple as going to the grocery store: “The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue More Places You Can Listen to Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald: