4 FFA • Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Central Valley High School’s Ken Moncrief rooted in agriculture
Ken Moncrief just completed his 26th year as an agriculture teacher for Ceres Unified School District.
DALE BUTLER / The Courier
Ken Moncrief loves his job. He just completed his 26th year as an agriculture teacher for Ceres Unified School District. Moncrief, 50, was named the Ceres Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Man of the Year on May 29. He was recognized for promoting Ag among the students of Ceres and Central Valley high schools. “I was very surprised,” Ken said. “I consider it a great honor to be recognized by the industry. It’s an award selected by previous recipients. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like a job. I get to work with really good kids. They learn the importance of being responsible through hands-on experience.” A graduate of Cal Poly, Moncrief spent the first 17 years of his teaching career at Ceres High School. He just completed his ninth year at Central Valley High School. Ken helped implement an Ag program when Central Valley High School was being constructed. “The involvement has grown tremendously,” Moncrief said. “When I started, 200 students were involved in ag. Now, we
have over 700 students enrolled. Kids see great things happening in our program and they want to be a part of it. We’re opening doors for them.” Moncrief spearheaded the construction of the Ceres agricultural center behind Hidahl Elementary School in Ceres. He invested a lot his own personal time in the development of the farm. He installed shingles on a 3,000-square foot instructional building/storage facility during his Thanksgiving break. Approximately 750 students at both Ceres and Central Valley high schools participate in activities at the Ag center. They’re in charge of planting, tending and harvesting row crops, and fruits and vegetables for the district’s Child Nutrition school lunch program. Farm fresh apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, lettuce and peppers have been sold. Locals donated 150 fruit trees and 200 table grape plants. Blueberries were planted this school year. Citrus will be added in the future. Ceres Unified provided 6.5 acres of land for the Ag center and assistance in fi-
nancing for a tractor. An irrigation system of 2,000 feet of pipe was installed. About 44 Ceres students exhibited produce grown at the Ag center. They brought in $9,500 in premium money. “One of the things that I am truly proud of is every part of this facility has been touched by kids,” Moncrief said. Moncrief wants to see construction of cattle/sheep pens and a swine barn. Most FFA students in Ceres do not have their own property for the raising of animals
for the Stanislaus County Fair. “I believe that this is the best thing that I have done in 26 years in this district,” Moncrief said. “This is just truly an outstanding experience for kids. Now with regulations, water issues and pesticides, there’s a lot more to it (agricultural industry). It’s becoming more and more technology-based.” Courier Editor Jeff Benziger contributed to this report.
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BY DALE BUTLER