Fullerton High FFA Takes Top Award at Fair

Editors Note: Fullerton Union High School Future Farmers of America won the first place chapter award at the Orange County Fair. Members included Lauren Acuna, Robert Ward and Rafael Ortiz. This is a story about FUHS Agri Student Robert Ward and the hard work that went into being one of the top Agri students in the County written by his mother Irene.

My son Robert Ward has been in Fullerton Union High School FFA (Future Farmers of America) for four years.

He wore a cord and ribbon of blue and gold at graduation this year. He had to be in FFA for four years to get that. He has raised two pigs, a lamb and this year a goat named Junior. He took care of these animals twice a day. In the morning before school started he cleaned the pen with a shovel and fed the animal. After school he would hose down the pen and feed the animals again. Approximately once a week he would wash the goat. This procedure was also done on the weekends as well.

A goat can be very temperamental. Some days better than others.

Junior weighed in at the OC Fair at 72 pounds. Friday Junior worked well with Robert and they earned second place in the market goat judging competition.

The Fullerton Union High School FFA Chapter received first place FFA chapter as a result of the work that students Lauren Acuna, Robert Ward and Rafael Ortiz did with their goats.

Friday Junior was not cooperating with Robert. He was jumping around in the arena. Robert gently brought him back to the ground placing him in the appropriate position. They received tenth place in the advanced division.

Junior will be auctioned off Saturday July 23 at the Junior Livestock Auction. My son will use the proceeds from the sale for furthering his education at Mt. San Antonio College in Veterinary Science.

What did my son learn? Responsibility. Confidence. Commitment. It's an agricultural program, and they're taking science classes the four years. They give animals shots. They help each other out, so it's a team effort.


Irene Finke, of Fullerton, is a registered nurse