FFA students at disadvantage with shows
The Jay Town Council heard a request from farmer Jason Wolfe to think about establishing a place for members of the Jay community who own less than 20 head of cattle and students in the Jay High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) program to utilize to work on, treat and maintain their animals.
Wolfe said that the FFA Show was the preceding weekend and cited the problems that not having a place to raise and maintain the animals can bring.
“A lot of kids have nowhere to work with their steer or pig before it gets thrown into the arena,” said Wolfe.
Wolfe said he spoke to Libbie Johnson at the Santa Rosa County Extension Office and she said she is willing to put on workshops but the closest facility is in Marianna. He also spoke to several farmers who have full cattle working facilities and they asked about getting portable pens, but he said they were light-duty. He asked about getting $15,000 to $20,000 together in donations to build one at the old livestock barn (now the Marketplace on Commerce St.), where the whole community could use it.
“Everybody here has been hurt by a cow, if you’ve worked cows,” said Wolfe. “You wish you had this and you wish you had that. Most people can’t afford it.”
Wolfe said that most people have a pen to catch their cattle and load them up on a trailer, but they don’t have the facility to work on them properly without somebody getting hurt.
Wolfe said he has spoken to those who know the cost of building the facilities, referring to a company named gobob.com that will build the facilities out of drill pipe and said that they are built to last. He said it would cost about $30,000. He mentioned the FFA said they would be willing to do a fundraiser as long as it was to benefit the Jay High School FFA or 4H.
“It’s so much easier to load 10 or 15 cows on a trailer and bring them to a facility and work them and then carry them back.” said Wolfe. “Working cows and catching cows is two different ordeals. Once you get them confined, and messing with their babies, they go nuts and be violent and dangerous.”
Mayor Shon Owens said he can sympathize because he doesn’t have a working facility.
“I would love to have a facility I could move them over to be worked somewhere else,” said Owens.
Wolfe said veterinarian Dr. Hank Lee refuses to come to farms to work cattle because he gets hurt.
There was discussion about the limitations of the old livestock facility since it was renovated with a USDA grant and now is used as a vendors market. Other possible areas and their limitations were discussed. Councilman Josh Holloway suggested there may be other locations in the town and to check the livestock ordinances in Jay, citing a workshop to discuss it may be an option.
Wolfe said farmers won’t open their places for people to bring, due to liability issues.
Jay Operations Manager Eric Seib said he would see what limitations are in place at the old livestock market and bring that back to the council. Wolfe said he would look into the cost.
“I love the idea,” said Owens. “I think there should be a facility in Jay that does exactly what you’re talking about. I think to some extent we’ve sort of put on the back burner the phenomenal participation in FFA at the school, compared to the sports that we have.”
He suggested finding a place somewhere in the town to try to start the process.
In other business, the Santa Rosa County Republican Executive Committee will visit the town of Jay at 9 a.m., Friday, April 28. They will visit Jay Town Hall at 9 a.m., where a general overview of the town will be given. Former County Commissioner and Town Councilman Wayne Godwin will be there.
At 10 a.m., there will be a museum walkthrough at Jay Museum by the Jay Historical Society to learn about the history of Jay.
They will move to the Linda Carden Community Center for lunch catered by Oakes Catering at 11:15 a.m.. Jay leaders will be present to speak to committee members.
At noon, community leaders, including Jay Elementary School Principal Mary Grace White, Jay High School teacher Rhett Powell and Northwest Florida Ministerial Association’s Pastor Cecil Jackson will give briefs.
A business roundtable is set for 12:20 p.m., with Maverick’s Al Jones, Jay Hospital’s Keith Strickling, Escambia River Electric Cooperative’s Ryan Campbell and United Bank’s Sheila Ashworth.
Then at 12:50 p.m., a field tour and agriculture review with Ryan Jenkins at Jenkins Farm at 4350 Darney Road, and Killam Farm’s Lucas Killam, will round out the visit. The committee will depart Jay around 1:45 p.m.
Council members were invited to join the committee’s visit Friday.
