SYRACUSE — At the historical 185th Forum conducted January 5, the Tri-Valley FFA Chapter of Tri-Valley Central School was awarded the coveted NYS FFA Chapter of the Year award.

The New York State Grange sponsors this award, and invites chapter officers to attend the Society's Forum and receive the “Golden Tractor” rotating trophy.

Richard Ball, Commissioner of the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets, was on hand to present the award.

In NYS, FFA chapters are as diverse as they come. From New York City to Buffalo, FFA chapters and the agricultural education programs they serve meet the needs of the students in each location.

Operating in Grahamsville, the Tri-Valley FFA is the only agriculture program and FFA in Sullivan and Ulster County, and works with over 150 members in grades 6-12 annually.

While many chapters focus on one component of local agriculture, Tri-Valley caters to a wide range of student interests and community needs.

Advised by Tara Berescik and Robert Hayes, the program teaches classes in turf grass management, where students construct athletic fields from forest land to game day to learn the hands-on skills for success in the field.

The program boasts of Tri-Valley Blooms, a full-scale floral shop run by FFA students that has catered 120 weddings in the past 10 years. Students learn all aspects of the floral industry and have the necessary skills to run their own events as well.

In addition, Tri-Valley has two working commercial greenhouses for growing and finishing plants, and a small animal breeding and care laboratory at school.

Environmental Science is a major focus since Tri- Valley is located in the NYC Watershed, and students work hand-in-hand with the DEP to develop ecologically friendly projects to learn about the local environment.

Tri-Valley is committed to enabling students to see the global scope of agriculture. Ms. Berescik works with students to plan and organize international trips, and teaches a class in international agriculture and sustainability.

In 2016, 17 members of the chapter traveled to Europe to tour agricultural destinations in Switzerland, Italy, France, Monaco, and Spain. This is the fifth trip in 10 years. Other tours have included Australia/New Zealand, Costa Rica, Ireland, and Scotland.

Whether they are volunteering with coffee farmers in Costa Rica or studying lavender in France, the scope of worldwide agriculture is presented.

Tri-Valley FFA members excel in all areas. They have competed on the local, state, and national level in at least one area every year for the last 17 years. In 2016, members won multiple state proficiency awards and many placed gold nationally. Three members of the chapter were selected to receive National FFA Grants for Youth Entrepreneurship in 2016 - only 146 grants were given nationwide.

While the program offers amazing opportunities to its students, it is also community minded.

From the beginning

Founded in 1951 by Richard Strangeway, Tri-Valley FFA has committed itself to community service and creating community-minded youth.

At school, the program boasts of a 40-raised bed community garden - built and managed by students in grades 6-12. The students do everything from preparing beds, to growing seedlings, to watering, maintaining and harvesting. Everything collected is sent to local food banks for distribution to those in need. The chapter also helped establish a backpack for kids' anti-hunger program.

Thirty-four back packs are filled bi-weekly by donations collected around the school and community. These go home with youth to provide food on the weekends. In addition, members also collect turkeys and other food items to make the holidays happier for over 40 families in the community annually. Participating in FFA for four to six years, members can graduate with over 1,000 community service hours.

The NYS Agricultural Society Forum conducted annually in January is the largest statewide agricultural meeting that brings together all sectors of the food system to explore topics critical to the future of New York agriculture, and to recognize the unique contributions of its stakeholders.

In addition to the NYS FFA Chapter of the Year Award, the NYS Agricultural Society also awards Century and Bicentennial Farms, Businesses of the Year, Journalism, Ag Promotion, Farm Safety and Distinguished Service honors. The theme of the 2017 Forum was “Advancing NY Agriculture Through Collaboration” and featured Dr. Danny Klinefelter from Texas AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M University as the keynote speaker. Afternoon panels focused on successful collaborations in finance, secondary education, and state government.

In the latter panel, the NYS Grown & Certified Program was introduced, which is the first statewide, multifaceted food certification program designed to strengthen consumer confidence in products made in NY, address food product labeling, and enable farms to benefit from the growing demand for local foods.

Established in 1832, the mission of the NYS Agricultural Society is to foster, promote, and improve the NYS food and agricultural industry through education, leadership development and recognition programs.