Stissing Mountain hosts FFA ag fair as exhibits abound

PINE PLAINS —  The FFA (Future Farmers of America) Agriculture Fair was back in force the weekend of Friday, Oct. 6, and Saturday, Oct. 7, at Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School. 

Friday’s events included the judging of rabbits, poultry and beef. Livestock confirmation classes began at 11 a.m. with the FFA dairy show following that.

Indoor exhibits including the Pine Plains Garden Club, an exhibit by the Grange and various others were arranged in the school gym, including models made by students from scraps and vegetables, grasses, seeds, fruits and flowers, and some materials that remain unidentified, made into creatures both ghoulish and clever.

Often called The Best Little Agricultural Fair in Dutchess County, the predicted rain put a damper on a few items such as the tractor pull and the horse events. The fireworks were also postponed to Sunday, Oct. 8.

On Friday afternoon, there were sports games being played as regular school life in Pine Plains moved along, but there was, in the long barn next to the playing fields, a large number of dairy cows, still babies at 4 to 8 months old, mooing and lowing, getting settled in for the night waiting for the fair to continue on Saturday. However, the lines for the roast beef dinner on Friday night were long as the scents drifted out from the kitchen. At $20 per adult dinner and $10 per child, all funds went to benefit the FFA Stissing Mountain Chapter.

Even with the rain and some cancellations, the event was successful and once again Pine Plains FFA invested in Pine Plains youth. Agriculture and farming are still a way of life here, and the tradition, with the help of institutions such as FFA, will continue to thrive.

FFA Dairy Showmanship Senior Champion Alekzander Duncan, 16, a senior at Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School, at the Pine Plains FFA Ag Fair on Friday, Oct. 6.  Photo by Jenn Duncan