Tulsa World: Small school scores big wins

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Small school scores big wins
Mulhall-Orlando leads state's banner year in FFA national honors.

Mulhall-Orlando High School student Kassandra Pfeiffer loads a needle with antibiotics. ZACH GRAY / for the Tulsa World

By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer
Published: 11/2/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 11/2/2009 3:50 AM

ORLANDO, Okla. — On farms located just west of Stillwater, two Future Farmers of America care for the largest and smallest animals with the same tender touch without thought to their national rankings.

Mikka Harman and Kassandra Pfeiffer, both seniors at Mulhall-Orlando High School, are humble about their recent wins as the country's best in their agricultural specialities and smile simply when asked about it.

"It was a shock," Pfeiffer said. "We've gotten a lot of congratulations, even from people who don't really understand what it means."

Oklahoma FFA boasts a history-making year in national awards.

The state took a record-setting 27 national finalists to contests earlier this month in Indianapolis. Those students are among the top three in the nation in their competitive fields. Of those, 11 won, also a record.

Add to that, six other national winners, 33 chapter awards, a model of innovation chapter honor and a record number of students earning American FFA degrees.

"I've been working with state FFA since 1985, and I've never seen anything like it," said Oklahoma FFA Executive Secretary Kent Boggs. "It was a blessing — good kids, good chapters and good advisors. We had an amazing year."

'My own business'

Harman and Pfeiffer are among the elite, winning on projects they have been working on since eighth grade.

Harman won in small-animal production and care with a Shih Tzu breeding business she developed after purchasing

two registered females and one male. She performs basic veterinary tasks and is meticulous about their daily care.

She has sold more than 34 puppies in four states with marketing through newspaper advertising and a Web site she maintains.

"I've learned to run my own business, take care of finances and make customers happy," Harman said. "I've also learned you might not be able to sell all the puppies at the price you start out with, but we've always sold the puppies to good homes."

When Harman delivers a puppy, the buyer gets a bag of food, shot records and a registration certification. She plans to keep operating her business while pursuing a college degree in health care, saying she loves the dogs and enjoys the independence of business ownership.

"It's my own business, and I've had it going for so long. I don't want to give it up just because I'm going to college," Harman said. "I plan to go to college within 30 minutes of here, so I can continue doing this. It's a good side job and good, fun hobby."

Pfeiffer has the top award in beef production placement with a focus on setting up recipient cows for embryo transfer. She works in her family's cattle business, gaining experience in mating, genetics and herd-health issues.

She arranges the process for the cattle to receive multiple hormone shots and embryo implantation and keeps the paperwork updated on vaccinations and injections. There is about an 85 percent success rate, and the calves are raised on her farm.

"It takes a lot of work, and timing is everything and making sure you communicate with everybody," Pfeiffer said. "It took a long time to get it all down and everything running smoothly."

Pfeiffer plans to seek an agriculture degree and eventually start her own herd.

'Vital to our community'

FFA Mulhall-Orlando chapter adviser Allen Miller said the members are still celebrating.

"With two national winners from our school, no other school in the United States was able to accomplish this," Miller said. "I'm really proud that it happened for us."

State FFA membership grew by at least 400 students a year between 2002 and 2007, and has since held steady at about 24,000 among 365 chapters. The fastest growth is in suburban areas, Boggs said.

Boggs said there are more than 300 agriculture-related career fields, and less than 2 percent of them deal with production.

"Agriculture education has broadened in scope, and we have done a better job in our FFA chapters to show there are lot more careers in agriculture than the traditional production fields," Boggs said.

Chapters are most popular in smaller towns where members still don the traditional blue-and-gold jackets.

About 51 percent of Mulhall-Orlando's student body of 97, from seventh- to 12th-grades, are FFA members.

"It's vital to our community," said Principal Patrick Smith. "We are a rural school and it is part of our day-to-day landscape. Very few will be farmers or ranchers, but they understand the value of agriculture. It's not your mom or dad or grandparent's agriculture world.

"It's a big deal here. A lot of our kids are non-traditional ag students who are answering the call by developing non-traditional programs, which is where we are seeing more entrepreneurial and business programs created. Kids, especially teenagers, are not given enough credit for being intelligent. But we give them opportunities to show they are."

Mulhall-Orlando's chapter also includes Jacob Beck, who was among national finalists in agricultural mechanics repair and maintenance. He rebuilds machinery for resale and works in his family's business, Beck's Farm Equipment of Guthrie.

"To have three as national finalists from here is an amazing per-capita experience," Smith said. "Before the results were announced from nationals, we already put a feather in our cap."

FFA Awards

National winners in proficiency areas:

Brian Masters, agricultural processing, Drummond

Rusty Kenner, agricultural services, Cheyenne

Kassandra Pfeiffer, beef production placement, Mulhall-Orlando

Rashele Blakley, diversified livestock production entrepreneurship, Oologah

Brodie Poppino, equine science entrepreneurship, Adair

Josh Goff, equine science placement, Woodward

Brian Livesay, fruit production, Porter

Jared Yost, grain production entrepreneurship, Lomega

Dalton Brewer, grain production placement, Okeene

Mikka Harman, small animal production and care, Mulhall- Orlando

Amber Allen, vegetable production, Burlington

Star Farmer of America: Slade Nightengale, Cordell

Model of Innovation Chapter: Noble, community development division

National Job Interview: Chacey Schoeppel, Fairview

National Agri-Entrepreneur: Kela Kelln, Fairview

National Prepared Public Speaking: McKenzie Walta, Kingfisher (fifth oklahoman to win)

National Horse Evaluation Team: Locust Grove chapter

Ginnie Graham 581-8376
ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer

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Few Clothes, America (11/2/2009 2:44:14 PM)

Great story. Thank you 2 young ladies for your care to the animals. I was in the FFA for 4 years around a hundred years ago and throughly enjoyed every day.

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