Mt. Horeb FFA Program of Activities

Local Activities 

FFA Meetings: FFA members meet in the Ag Room. Check the Ag Room for dates and times.  At the first meeting in September, members indicate their interest in various activities.  Members pay $20 in dues which includes a t-shirt.

Officer Elections: FFA members elect their officers at the end of the school year.  Members running fill out an application form, which is posted in the Ag Room.  The students with the most votes caucus during finals week for positions on the officer team.

Fundraising: FFA members sell fruit and other items in the fall “Holiday Sale” and use the proceeds for FFA jackets, trips, and rebates.  Other funds come from FFA Alumni support, crop sales, the milk vending machine,  Culvers “Share Days”, and other generous business and individual donations.

FFA/FFA Alumni Toy Show: A farm toy show is held in January.  FFA members help set up and tear down, and assist with the concession stand and youth pedal tractor pull.  Money from the toy show is used to sponsor members on trips and given out in scholarships.

Canada Fishing Trip: FFA members travel to Jutten Lake, Ontario at the end of each school year for a week of fishing while camping on a wilderness island.  Members from committees and plan the trip in April and May. 

Homecoming: Members build a float for the parade.  Officers choose a FFA Queen and King to ride in the parade and participate in the pep rally.  The FFA Queen also says a few words at the FFA Banquet.

FFA Field: Our chapter farms 7 acres south of Mt. Horeb.  Members prepare budgets, participate in field preparation and market the crops (corn or soybeans).

Freshman and New Student Activity Fair: FFA members set up a booth to help new students and freshmen learn about FFA opportunities.

Rifle Club—Students hold rifle practice once a month at an indoor range in rural Black Earth.  Members use 22’s at 50 feet in an Olympic style target course.  Members participate in a competitive shoot sponsored by the Dane County Fair.    

FFA Plant Sale—Horticulture students and members sell plants raised in the ag department greenhouse to community members in May.

National FFA Week—Members have “dress up” days, organize a Drive Your Tractor to School event, and treat the student body to silly competitions (i.e.  Ice cream eating contest) during lunch periods.  

Field Trips—FFA members go on field trips associated with Ag Sciences classes.

Freshman Orientation—Senior members conduct tours through the Ag Department and give short presentations explaining agriculture education and FFA.

Mt. Horeb FFA Banquet—The FFA Banquet is held in March and usually draws over 300 family members and friends of the FFA.  Awards and scholarships are presented and overviews of FFA activities are shared.  FFA members form committees and work with the FFA officers to plan and carry out the event.

FFA School Farm to Table - FFA members grow microgreens and hydroponic crops in the greenhouse during the fall and winter months.  Food is donated to the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Pantry.

Community Service—Our chapter participates in various community service projects.  Recent past projects have included helping elderly or disabled community members with yard work, raising tomato plants and starting other vegetables for a local food pantry, and planting trees and shrubs in a community park.  The chapter maintains a “Free Little Library” to develop ag literacy located by the greenhouse.

 Area Activities

Dane County FFA Officers Workshop—Local FFA officers meet with other officer teams from Dane County each summer.  Officers learn about their responsibilities and duties; swap activity ideas and participate in a community service project.

Central National FFA Dairy Events—Teams compete at World Dairy Expo in Agronomy, Milk Quality, Dairy Judging and Dairy Showmanship.

GEA Ice Cream Scoop—A team of students help with serving ice cream at World Dairy Expo for the GEA company.  Money earned is used for Dane County FFA activities including the fair and leadership workshops.

Kiwanis Meeting—Officers attend a luncheon meeting with the Downtown Madison Kiwanis honoring outstanding local FFA members.  

FFA LDE (Speaking) Contests —Students compete in FFA Creed, Job Interview, Prepared Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Discussion Meet divisions.  The District Contest is held in February.  Winners and runner-ups advance to the Sectional Contest in March.  Sectional winners compete in the State Contest in June.

Parliamentary Procedure Team - Members train throughout the school year in preparation for the District Contest held in February and.  Winners and runner-ups advance to the Sectional Contest in March.  Sectional winners compete in the State Contest in June.  

Conduct of Meetings Team - Freshmen members on the Conduct of Meetings Team train with the Parliamentary Procedure Team and other skills related to their contest held at the State FFA Convention in June.

Section V Leadership Workshop—FFA officers and chapter leaders travel to the home school of the state officer to learn leadership skills in the fall.  Section V consists of Dane, Green, and Rock counties.

FFA Career Development Events—Students participate on teams in a number of contests designed to enhance agricultural skills learned in the classroom.  Mt. Horeb FFA members have traditionally participated in Agronomy, Wildlife, Equine Judging, Poultry Judging, Milk Products, Dairy Judging, Livestock (Beef, Sheep and Swine) Judging, Veterinary Science, and Ag Mechanics.  Students use class time and some evenings to practice and prepare for competition at the SW WI FFA Career Development Events at UW-Platteville and the SC WI FFA Career Development Events at Janesville.  Teams with high scores move on to state and national competition.

Land Evaluation Competitions—Students compete in land judging contests.  The contest includes evaluating soil, slopes and identifying invasive species.  Students participate in the Green County Land Evaluation Contest in Monroe and the SW WI Land Evaluation Contest at UW-Platteville. Members with the best scores compete at the state contest.

Dane County Fair—Students participate in livestock and small animal showing; ag related projects; and animal sales.  Each chapter from Dane County also takes a shift watching over the Kiddy Barn ag literacy exhibit.

Dane County Fair Shooting Sports Competition —Members of the Mt. Horeb FFA Rifle Club compete in the .22 Target Rifle event.

 State Activities

State FFA Convention—Students receive state awards on stage at the convention held in June at Madison.  Two students represent Mt. Horeb FFA at delegate sessions to conduct State FFA business on behalf of chapter members. 

State FFA LDE  (Speaking) Contests—Sectional Speaking Contest winners compete against nine other winners for state honors.

State FFA Conduct of Meetings Contest - Freshman members demonstrate FFA Opening Ceremony and basic parliamentary procedure.

State FFA Career Development Events—Students with high scores at the UW-Platteville event are invited to compete at UW-Madison.  Teams in some areas do not have to qualify.

State FFA Environmental Science and Natural Resources Team - Members work as a team to complete activities and tests in wildlife, water quality, soil evaluation, and forestry at the Wisconsin Lions Camp in Rosholt each spring.

State FFA Safe Tractor Operator Contest—Students compete for state honors at Farm Technology Days in the summer.

State FFA Land Evaluation Competition—Students participate at Blackhawk Technical College (Monroe) in fall.

State FFA Band, Chorus, and Talent—Members send in an audition application in April.  Selected participants give concerts at the State FFA Convention in June and the Wisconsin State Fair in August.

State FFA Halftime Leadership Conference—Two chapter leaders travel to Stevens Point in January to meet with other officers and develop activities for the second semester.

State FFA Made For Excellence/Edge Leadership Conference - Members travel to Wisconsin Dells to sharpen their leadership skills.

State FFA Fire Conference - First year members travel to Southwest Technical College to learn about FFA programs and activities in addition to introductory leadership skills.

State Environmental and Natural Resources Contest—Team members compete in Rosholt, WI.  The contest has wildlife, soils, water, and forestry components.   The contest also has a presentation component. 

 National Activities

National FFA Convention—Members travel to Indiana and attend a career show, go to convention sessions, and take side trips.  The National FFA Convention is held the last week in October and is the largest youth convention in the world. Requirements include being a second, third, or fourth year member; participation in three local FFA activities; and participation in one FFA activity above the chapter level.

National FFA Washington Leadership Conference—Two students are selected each year by the Mt. Horeb FFA Alumni to travel to Washington DC in the summer and attend the conference.  Students learn leadership skills, tour historic monuments, and meet with congressional representatives. 

National FFA Career Development Events—State winners are invited to participate in these events held at the National FFA Convention.

National FFA Band, Chorus, and Talent—State FFA Band and Chorus directors, and State FFA Talent judges select top members to join others at the National FFA Convention.