KIDS IN ACTION Olivia and her market steer, Phoenyx, show-ring exhibiting at the 2019 Deschutes County Fair.
Photo by Makayla Kay-Marie Photography
PINT-SIZED
16-Year-Old Female Cattle Rancher Earns the Oregon FFA State Degree By Annette Benedetti
O
livia Rooker’s voice is calm and possesses the confidence of a seasoned professional woman. It’s hard to believe that she is only 16. Even more shocking is the tiny frame dwarfed by, and commanding, the giant beast that is the steer she raised to show and sell at the fair. This year, Olivia is one of a handful of high school students who earned the prestigious Oregon FFA State Degree. The FFA program, once referred to as Future Farmers of America, has now expanded to become a dynamic organization that prepares members for leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. While earning this degree is an accomplishment that requires hours spent in classes, on projects,
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and serving the community, the fact that Rooker has already positioned herself as a woman advocate in the heavily malesaturated agriculture industry at her young age is exceptional. Rooker shared her thoughts and experiences regarding the FFA during a short interview. Here is what she had to say.
Q: When and why did you decide to enter the FFA program? OR: I’ve grown up around livestock and the livestock industry my
entire life. My family and I moved here from Arizona in 2014 and my oldest sister joined FFA and introduced our family to it. Once I saw the opportunity and the experiences that she got through FFA, I was intrigued and knew that I wanted to start as soon as I could. I started as a Discovery Member in eighth grade.
Q: What is a Discovery Member? OR: It’s an opportunity for eighth-graders to get a head start in
FFA…they can dip their toe into the program before they enter high school as a freshman and start to add classes.
