Kids to Know: Shelby Langford
In August, the National FFA (Future Farmers of America) Organization, a nationally recognized school-based student leadership development group, announced that it reached a record-breaking 1 million members. These students are leaders at their schools and in their communities who will one day fill the more than 350 careers in agriculture. And seeing as how the world population is expected to grow to more than 2 billion people by 2050, our survival depends on local kids like Shelby Langford (14).
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How did you become interested in agriculture and FFA?
Shelby Langford: I attended Learning Gate Community School, a nature-focused school. We had classes like gardening and nature studies, and in our traditional classes, we learned a lot about nature and climate change too. I developed an interest in growing things after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 8. I started cooking a lot and wanted to grow my own food.
In 7th grade, my mom enrolled me in an FLVS agriculture class, which I really enjoyed. I decided I wanted to raise a cow and show it at the State Fair. Towards the end of the class, I learned about FFA (Future Farmers of America) and the opportunities it offered. I realized that if I enrolled in an agriculture class, I could raise my own cow.
The summer before freshman year, my family and I had a plan with Ms. Nicole Rice, the Gaither agriculture teacher and my current FFA Advisor, that I would be allowed to show the chapter heifer (a girl cow). Unfortunately, the cow unexpectedly died. However, Ms. Rice provided another animal for me to show, the chapter pig. The FFA Chapter covered all the supplies. I would be responsible for raising it, and all the proceeds from selling the pig at the Hillsborough County Fair would go back into the chapter.
After selling my pig, I purchased another pig named Banner. He was supposed to show at the Florida State Fair, but we missed the registration deadline. It was a hard lesson to learn. Fortunately, I was able to hold a raffle for half of Banner, allowing us to break even on the project and reinvest everything into my new pig, Winn Dixie. I will be showing Dixie at the 2024 Hillsborough County Fair this November.
What motivated you to apply for the FFA Alumni Grant for the Gaither High School FFA Chapter, and what ideas and goals did you have in mind?
Shelby Langford: I applied for the National FFA Alumni and Supporters Give Back to Your Roots Grant after seeing an agriscience SAE project in the FFA New Horizons magazine about making a fodder farm. A fodder farm provides supplemental feed along with hay for animals such as cows, goats, and sheep. It helps lower feeding costs and is often used on a commercial scale with dairy cows, as the water content in the fodder promotes milk production. I researched grants and other funding options and found the National FFA Website, where I saw the Give Back to Your Roots Grant.
I reached out to Kathy Mayfield, the FFA advisor for the North Clackamas FFA chapter in Oregon, who was featured in the article. She kindly agreed to a FaceTime call to show me their fodder system setup. She also sent me all their records and the materials they used, which was a great help for writing the grant.
A few months later, I was pulled out of my first-period class to receive the news that the Gaither FFA Alumni was awarded the grant I had written. At first, I was scared because all my family was there, and I thought my dog Buddy had died. However, it turned out that the Gaither FFA Alumni had been awarded $4,300 to build a fodder farm in the back of the Gaither Land Lab, which hadn’t been touched in over 20 years.
After being awarded the grant, my mom arranged for me to be featured on ABC Action News with Sean Daly. When the segment aired, a viewer called Gaither High School to offer a matched donation. I was so grateful that others were interested in supporting agriculture. To date, I have written three grants on behalf of the Gaither FFA Chapter as well as for my individual projects, that total an awarded amount of $12,800.
What progress has been made on the grant project to date, and when do you anticipate that the greenhouse will be finished?
Shelby Langford: So far, my family and I have cleared the land where we’ll be building the greenhouse. We have also cleared the slab of concrete where we will be placing the movable greenhouse. There were about 500 pots on top of this slab that we had to haul to the dump. We anticipate completing the greenhouse by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
Please share some things you have learned in your experience to help raise awareness for FFA.
Shelby Langford: I’ve learned about the struggles real-life farmers face day to day, as well as valuable skills in money management, time management, animal welfare, communication and public speaking. Without agriculture, there would be no food, clothes and even some medicines.
In addition to the hard work that comes with being in FFA, you also take dual enrollment and AP classes, play a sport and are a member of different organizations. Tell us about your other activities and interests.
Shelby Langford: I’m in the top 2% of my class. I play club soccer at West Florida Flames and Varsity soccer at Gaither High School. I am also a part of the JDRF (now Breakthrough Type 1) and participate in the yearly One Walk in Tampa to raise awareness for people with Type 1 Diabetes. I also attend a summer camp with all kids that have Type 1 Diabetes at Florida Diabetes Camps. It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year. I also attend University of Florida Department of Animal Sciences livestock judging summer clinics.
With the experience and education you’re developing today, where do you see yourself in five years? What would be your ideal future career?
Shelby Langford: In the future, I hope to enter the world of business, using my skills (learned from my FFA projects) and my other experiences. I would love to one day own a ranch and a restaurant that provides good quality food that I raise and grow.
What is your favorite thing to do with your family in Tampa Bay?
Shelby Langford: One of my favorite things to do in Tampa is to go walking in Hyde Park Village with my friends or family. I love all the different shops and eating at Goody Goody or Bar Taco. I also like going to Lowry Parcade with my family or going to Ybor City and having lunch at Tampa Bay Brewing Company with my family. I also like going to the beach in St. Pete and Clearwater. They have the best beaches in Florida!
Originally published in the September 2024 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.