Photo (from Left to right): Breanna Langley, Eduardo Rivera, Kevin Benitez, Diogenes Abreu
Kathleen FFA Takes Top Honors in Aquaculture
management practices. Additionally, the team is presented with a specific situation they must address in a five to seven minute team presentation. Students are given the problem, a reference and 30 minutes to prepare for the presentation. The event requires students to have a ton of scientific knowledge, technical skills, team working skills and they must be able to think on their feet.
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Kathleen FFA won the 2012 state contest. Team members were Breanna Langley, Diogenes Abreu, Kevin Benitez and Eduardo Rivera, all students in the aquaculture program. Kevin Benitez, a junior, said, “The contest was more challenging than expected. In class we give presenta-
quaculture in Florida generates over $40 million annually for our state’s economy. The principal crop in Florida is tropical fish. Polk County is home to 19 aquaculture farms according to the Polk Farm Bureau web site and the growth opportunity in this industry is unprecedented. Kathleen High School’s agriculture department is preparing students for careers in this growing field by offering Aquaculture courses. The program is in its second year and enrollment is growing.
tions all the time and I think that definitely helped prepare us for the oral presentation.” As part of their preparation, the team toured local aquaculture farms and worked with Crystal Lake Middle School, who finished third in the middle school division. Team members were Luke Tefoe, Cassie Toner, Kaley May and Garrison Russell. The students will be recognized at the Florida FFA State Convention in Orlando in June. •
The Florida FFA Association recognizes this growing agriculture field and has developed a career development event to challenge students’ skills in aquaculture. The Aquaculture CDE was held Saturday April 21, at the University of Florida’s Veterinarian College. The event requires students to learn over 80 fish species, 120 aquatic plants, water quality parameters, diseases and parasites and production techniques, including tank designs and 12
INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
MAY 2012
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