It was 10 a.m. on a weekday when the smell of manure and hay was particularly strong, recalled Jacqueline ‘Jacque’ Szillinsky, a 14-year-old sophomore at Westlake High School.
She sat feeling defeated at the school's farm. Jacque had spent an hour trying to teach a trick to a goat named Curry in preparation for the Utah State Fair.
The sometimes-shy and often-defiant goat pulled his favorite tactic to avoid training: rolling around in his poop.
When Curry starts making a mess, that’s Jacque’s cue to leave. She sighed, checked the time and promptly left in order to make her first class.
“I don't have that much patience,” Jacque said, “so, working with him, you have to learn to be calm. It's going to work out eventually. You just have to help him get to that point.”
Then again, Jacque figured he wouldn’t be the easiest animal to train. Her first impression of him was that he was antisocial and shy, yet nice. “He's kind of like me,” Jacque said, “I just don't really care, but I'm nice.”
Jacque is part of the National FFA Organization, formally known as the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Her responsibilities include waking up early, taking academic courses and spending copious amounts of time with a goat that sometimes does not like her.
Jacque has several other academic and extracurricular commitments, which include being part of a competitive cheer team and taking college courses within the concurrent enrollment program.
When asked if she plans to continue training animals, even with her busy schedule and competing interests, she said an enthusiastic yes.
A growing number of teenagers are showing an interest in agricultural education, defined by the National FFA Organization as “a systematic program of instruction available to students desiring to learn about the science, business, technology of plant and animal production and/or about the environmental and natural resources systems.”
According to a press release published by the organization, student membership reached an all-time high in 2024, surpassing 1 million student members.
Jacque said agricultural education has given her tools to live a productive, happy and service-filled life.
Stephanie Szillinsky, Jacque's mother and a veteran of the program, said the national FFA organization positively impacted how she navigated her community as a teenager. She was exposed to experiences that helped form her character and core beliefs.
“There are different facets in the world [and] different cultures that we need to learn," Szillinsky said, adding that, "We need to broaden our horizons and not just learn one path or one thing."
MORE THAN ONE PATH
Szillinsky said if she hadn’t birthed Jacque, she might not have believed it was her child. Jacque’s light complexion and lighter eyes made her think, “Whose baby is this?”
This hilarious interaction is part of their charming dynamic. They were "instant best friends," said Szillinsky, adding that, "she’s my mini me.”
Szillinsky encouraged all of her children to participate in agricultural activities while in high school, even if they did not plan on sticking with it.
Despite the recent increase of adolescent participants in agricultural activities, farm labor has been on a long-term decline since 1950, with employment levels stabilized to about 3 million farmworkers since 1990, according to the U.S Department of Agriculture.
National FFA CEO Scott Stump said, “It’s exciting to watch this generation continue to find their place in agricultural education and FFA.
"We know there are many opportunities in the field of agriculture – from being a leader in your community to filling the need in the talent pipeline in one of the more than 350 careers in agriculture. We believe our members are also seeing these opportunities and welcome all to the table.”
In a world with growing online presence and a slow-but-sure shift away from our rural roots as a country, why do teenagers choose to participate in agricultural activities?
MORE THAN YEEHAW
Jacque said the program is more than a study of agriculture—it’s a study of life.
“We are learning to take responsibility for our actions. You have to be on time. You have to feed and you have to train, otherwise you're not going to do well. And it's an animal's life at risk,” Jacque said.
Jacque said agricultural education teaches her how to prioritize what is most important in life.
Szillinksy said the principles taught through agricultural education are not meant to demonstrate a superficial outlook on a western lifestyle, a term she referred to as ‘yeehaw.’
“[Agricultural education] is more than yeehaw. It's the life of a family working hard. You get up every day, you take care of your animals, you take care of your land. You're loving your family. That's the life of the country, life of America, which I think everybody has forgotten about,” Szillinsky said.
As a Black individual, Szillinsky acknowledged that "I didn’t look like a girl that would be into rodeos and FFA. So it was very fun and it gave me a great set of friends that I still have to this day.”
Being a minority in the program came with challenges like lack of representation or sudden feelings of alienation. Yet Szillinsky continued to participate because of the importance of the message and the experiences she was awarded.
As her kids participated in the program, she was able to aid them through similar challenges.
Szillinsky said, “I think that gave them the confidence to be able to travel and attend events. They felt supported. They weren't ashamed to be the only people there that looked like them, and they were proud to represent.”
Jacque was able to pocket $750 after selling Curry at the Utah State Fair, a parting that was bittersweet.
Szillinsky is still receiving payment for her investment; a life grounded in the knowledge of agriculture and endless laughs with her instant best friend.
