Mrs. Stephanie Loring, one of Liberty’s three agriculture teachers, has been teaching agriculture classes for 14 years. She decided to teach agriculture in high school and was influenced by her teachers, bosses, and grandparents. She likes teaching students about growing plants and flower arranging.

She also enjoys caring for animals, and in her class they have one rabbit, six chickens, and a hamster. Mrs. Loring wants to get more animals for her students but is struggling to find ones that will be comfortable in a school environment. 

FFA, which stands for Future Farmers of America, is a big part of agriculture education, and joining it is very simple. According to Hannah Winegardner students just have to take an agriculture class to join FFA and earn their signature blue jacket. As the student advisor, Winegardner informs and promotes FFA to the students of Liberty High School. Her experiences in agriculture and FFA led her to gain assistance in obtaining scholarships and better public speaking skills.

“You may outgrow the blue jacket, but you will never outgrow the memories,” said Winegardner.

The Vice President of FFA is Meredith Day. As vice president, she fills in any role necessary in the absence of the FFA President, Salem Sifford. Day joined FFA because her grandparents, father, and sister were all majorly involved in it. Day believes FFA is more than just farming, it’s also metal and wood working, animal and plant care, and adopting personal communication skills.

“FFA has allowed me to make many new friends from around the state and the country that share similar interests with me, because of FFA I plan on working in the agriculture field for the rest of my life,” said Day. 

Treasurer and second year member of FFA, Natalie Frazier, shares a similar opinion about the benefits of FFA. Frazier helps keep records and plans fundraisers and meetings as treasurer. She likes the experience in FFA and meeting people that enjoy the same things as herself. She believes that it’s a great way to be recognized by colleges and earn scholarships. 

Mrs. Loring has helped many of her students take on a career in agriculture and learn more about the way the United States functions with it. Her goal is for her students to understand the importance of farming and manufacturing and how the country wouldn’t be able to function without it.

Agriculture has varying classes that allow students to branch out and explore their interests and where they want to go in the future. Interested students can always chat with their guidance counselor to get detailed descriptions of each agriculture course offered. 

Loring lives by a quote from Confucius stating: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”