Strawberry Festival creates opportunities for Future Farmers of America
PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Strawberry Festival is a good time for everyone but it’s also an important opportunity for local students to earn money for the future.
Animals are a passion for Makayla Mahoney.
“I grew up with dogs of course. Going into high school I knew FFA was something I had a passion for and that I wanted to get into,” she said.
The junior at Durant High School is trying her hand at raising chickens, but her favorite pastime is showing pigs.
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“For the pig, you want them to listen to the whip and keep their head up are the biggest things and when you stop you want them to set up which is usually what you work with at home,” she said.
The Strawberry Festival is a chance for Makayla and other local students who participate in the Future Famers of America club, to test their skills and earn money for the future.
“It’s about agriculture and it’s about supporting our youth in agriculture,” Strawberry Festival President Kyle Robinson said.
Hundreds of students are participating in this year’s competition. Makayla’s pig won first in its class.
WFLA DAY: News Channel 8 to broadcast live from the Florida Strawberry Festival
She walked away with thousands of dollars to put towards her dreams of becoming a speech language pathologist.
“I want to help little kids learn how to hear and teach them how to use that in their daily lives and be communicative with everybody in their lives,” Makayla said.
Even after she’s started her career, Makayla believes the steer, lambs and other livestock will still be an important part of her life.
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