NILES — At 7 p.m. Nov. 12, Niles FFA will host its alumni and friends meeting in the agriculture room at Niles High School, 1441 Eagle St.

The event celebrates a successful history, despite setbacks, said advisers Carrie George and Cheryl Rogers.

In 1982, Niles Community Schools ended its agriculture education program after 44 years. In its more than four decades, the students learned about plant and livestock sciences, developed skills in public speaking and demonstration how to be productive members of their communities, both in and out of agriculture, said FFA advisers.

It amassed more than 130 state and national awards through its FFA Chapter, with several members of the program going on to serve as officers at the state level for Michigan following high school graduation.   

In 2016, after 34 years without a program of its own, Niles Community Schools system elected to re-institute the agriculture education program. This included the re-chartering of the Niles FFA Chapter, which also re-opened opportunities for students use the knowledge gained in the classroom to engage in leadership and professional development activities with other ag students across the state and nation, George and Rogers said.

Since the re-chartering, the students at Niles have worked hard to honor the success of their past by learning, engaging, and being involved in local, state, and national level activities, they said. Some of the contests have included job interviews, demonstrations, and public speaking. 

In 2018, the students from Niles competed in the Agricultural Issues Forum contest became state champions. The contest required students to present both the pros and cons of a topic of importance to the agriculture industry.  The “Ag Issues” team went on to compete at the national level, finishing as a semi-finalist for the first time in the history of Niles, dating all the way back to its original charter in 1948.

The chapter has seen other successes in the short time since its re-chartering, its advisers said. This includes being named state runners-up in 2017 and 2018 for the Greenhand Conduct of Meetings contest, where first year students demonstrate how to properly conduct a meeting according to parliamentary procedure. 

The students of the program have also been involved in the local community. With the help of a grant from Tractor Supply Company, they began a garden in 2017 at Niles High School, where they grow flowers and foods such as cabbage and spinach. They also managed the community garden on E. Main Street in downtown Niles.

The program has also allowed the opportunity for students to venture into the business world with the renting of 28 acres of tillable farm ground in the Niles community, the FFA advisers said. The entrepreneurs have worked with local agronomists, sales representatives and community leaders to develop a plan for raising their crop in 2019. This has included creating a budget, selecting the type of seed and fertilizer they will need for planting, and even the negotiating of rent for the property. 

In 2018, the students sought out the assistance of local community members to help re-charter the Niles FFA Alumni and Friends.  A local support system for the program made up of community members with an interest in supporting these students in their endeavors.  The alumni and friends are not made up of s former agricultural education or FFA members.  It is a community group, open to anyone who is interested in supporting and promoting agriculture, agricultural education and FFA activities.

In celebration of its past and recent success, the Niles FFA Chapter and the Niles FFA Alumni and Friends invite former FFA members and those passionate about agriculture or agriculture education to attend the Niles FFA Alumni and Friends meeting on Nov. 12.

For more information, call (269) 683-2894 or email FFA’s advisers at carrie.george@nilesschools.org and cheryl.rogers@nilesschools.org.