Senior reporter Brianne Johnson led the FFA as they hosted their annual Plant Sale on May 7th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. To comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines, the sale took place along the eastern sidewalk of Stillwater Area High School.

Customers entered the bus loop via 58th street, across from Kowalski’s, and parking was provided in the center of the loop. Last year’s sale was run through a series of online order forms, but the Plant Sale was held along the curb due to the massive amount of time consumed.

Senior FFA treasurer Matt Crain expressed his concern regarding the transportation of the plants from the greenhouse to the curb.

Another modification for this year’s Plant Sale was that the FFA was only given one day. This schedule placed an additional strain on members, as they usually have two days to sell their plants.

“Mr. Weaver is having a native plant sale so we’re hoping any plants we have leftover can be added on to his sale and hopefully sent out that way. Otherwise, they sit in the greenhouse, and then we have to figure out what we can do with them,” Johnson commented.

To prepare for the sale, Johnson and her fellow FFA members wanted to keep their plants healthy and manageable. They took extra care to cut and pinch back the flowers.

Johnson remained optimistic as she prepared for the sale, “We’re hoping it’s nice weather, because if it’s not; then we’re going to have to reschedule,  we’d have to come in and cut them all back again,” she explained anxiously.

While the entire FFA chapter contributed to the success of the Plant Sale, not all the members specialize in plant care. Junior FFA president Marit Hegstad judges horses, livestock and poultry, and her participation in the sale. 

“It’s our biggest fundraiser and it’s a lot of fun because working with plants is something a little different for me,” Hegstad said.

As treasurer, Crain deals with the finances for the club. Revenue generated from the Plant Sale and other FFA fundraisers goes directly into the local chapter. This helps fund trips, competitions, and apparel orders for the club. 

“I deal with all incoming and outgoing money, if we purchase something, a receipt comes to me, I fill it out and then send it to the school. I help out in any way I can,” Crain explained.

Unfortunately, the FFA has been unable to recruit new members as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made the Plant Sale more of a challenge due to the decreased amount of students interested in plants.

“We could use some more members in our meetings because we don’t have a super agricultural district,” Hegstad added.

When asked how she feels about the future of the FFA, Johnson exclaimed, “We have a few freshmen interested, so that’s good to see there are people that want to help, hopefully, it’ll continue to grow.”