“I know because of dedicated individuals like these that the future of agriculture is in great hands.” – Lori Bisordi, FFA Advisor
Three Sonoma young people were awarded the American FFA Degree at the National Convention in Indianapolis the weekend of October 26. Brylee Aubin, Corinne Gilman and George Storck, all born and raised in the Sonoma Valley, and all graduates of Sonoma High, earned the degree, the highest honor in FFA, after dedicating most of their young lives to agricultural pursuits. FFA, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, has over 930,000 members in all fifty states and in Puerto Rico. Less than one percent of members attain the American Degree.
SVHS Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Lori Bisordi explained that the degree recognizes members who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in agricultural education, leadership, and community service. It symbolizes years of dedication, skill development through a supervised agricultural experience (SAE), financial responsibility and active involvement in FFA activities. She affirmed, “the degree marks a member’s growth and leadership potential,” and added that it will serve to open doors to future career and educational opportunities. Bisordi concluded,”I am beyond proud of these three individuals, who each had a unique journey to receive this prestigious honor.”
Corinne and George began farm activities at around seven years old in 4-H, and Brylee, who grew up on her family’s seven-acre farm on Watmaugh Road, joined 4-H as soon as she could. Corinne was one of many young 4-H children who keep their project animals on the Aubin family farm. George began raising chickens through 4-H on his family’s acre-and-a-half on Orange Avenue in El Verano. They all participated in 4-H through 8th grade, the girls raising lambs and goats, and showing them at the Fair, and George took his laying hens and later meat chickens as well, to the Fair. For all three, taking ag classes, and joining FFA was a natural step when they got to high school.
Corinne Gilman is currently a second-year student at UC Davis, where she is majoring in Ag Science. She credits FFA with putting her on the track of becoming a vet, hopefully for livestock and meat animals. She says “FFA is in total an amazing program, which gives a light to so many.” Corinne talked about the challenges of being in high school when the pandemic hit, and affirmed that “Ms. Bisordi was the rock of my FFA experience.” During their sophomore year, she and Brylee raised their market steers from start to finish, and took them to the 2021 Sonoma County Fair, where they were auctioned off.
Her American degree represents four years of raising and showing market steers, earning the four degrees that come before it, doing the SAE, a Supervised Agricultural Experience, her role on the Officer Team, and her passion for it all. About receiving the American Degree, Corinne said it was a true honor, especially to represent the Sonoma FFA Chapter. She also acknowledged the many people who support FFA in Sonoma and says, “it’s a big thing to get out, to let people know how much you can do through FFA.”
Brylee Aubin is studying at Santa Rosa Junior College where she is taking general education and animal science courses, while living on the family farm. She hasn’t decided where she will transfer to finish her studies, probably in beef or dairy production, and she has a dream of becoming an ag teacher or advisor. Both of Brylee’s parents work actively as advisors and supporters of 4-H.
Brylee also spoke of the challenge of having the pandemic hit during her first year of high school, especially difficult because most ag courses are hands-on. In fact, she learned online how to show a steer, and the Fair itself was online in 2020. Brylee comments that a steer shows differently than lambs, and “it was a big learning curve.” For her, FFA gave her sense of community, where she felt accepted, and it “brought a whole new light to agriculture. Studies like farm management and floral design, being on an officer team, the competitions, going to state meetings and conventions – all this “meant a whole lot to me during my high school years.”
And she is still involved with 4-H, and many 4-H animals are housed at the Aubins’ farm. Brylee is raising her first hog, a Cross-bred breeder hog, which will have her first litter in February, and she will sell the piglets to the 4-H kids for them to raise.
About getting the American Degree, Brylee said it represents her ag studies and her collective four years of raising market steers, and everything that goes with that. Her senior year, she and Corinne each raised two steers. As to the Convention in Indianapolis, Brylee said it was “overwhelming and crazy.” She also said Bisordi was a big help to getting their degrees. As the ag teacher “who has stuck around, she meant a lot – every kid has a deep connection.”
George Storck, who says he took all the ag courses that are offered at Sonoma Valley High, is taking classes at Santa Rosa JC in a variety of subjects, including pumps and hydraulics, project management, welding, and landscape design, to help him figure out the next chapter of his life. He also works part time at an irrigation company, and does side projects in welding and landscaping.
George said the American Degree was the culmination of four years in FFA, going through the four degrees that precede it, Green Hand, Chapter, Regional and State. Lots of paperwork. And difficult benchmarks, such as earning $10,000 in net revenue, working between 500 and 1000 hours in agricultural projects, and completing 50 hours of community service. And he said FFA was one of the reasons he stayed at SV High, and he took every ag course offered.
George was involved in hen raising “for twelve solid years, since I was seven. It really took off during high school.” He had around 250 laying hens at any given time, producing between 12 and 13 dozen eggs a day, about 98 percent of which he sold to about 70 or 75 customers who came weekly to the farm, paying $8.00 per dozen on the honor system. George ended this longterm egg production project when he left Sonoma after graduation for college in the East. They have turned the chicken runs into flower gardens for his mother’s bees. He acknowledges, “I miss them – every one had her own personality and quirks. And I miss the interactions with my customers.”
By Anna Pier
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