Youth News
Introducing Your Northeast District Star in AgriScience Abby Parrish of the Oologah FFA Chapter
Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:29:48 CDT
During the month of April, the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and Oklahoma Farm Report is spotlighting the twenty District Stars of Oklahoma FFA that are among the highest achievers in the organization. The stars come from the five districts in four categories- Star in Ag Placement, Star in Agriscience, Star in Agribusiness and Star in Production Agriculture. Last week, we spotlighted the five district stars in Ag Placement- this week we move on to the Agriscience Stars for 2017.
Continuing this week's salute to the District Stars in Agriscience, we highlight today, Abby Parrish of the Oologah FFA Chapter representing the Northeast District. The findings from Parrish's experiments with soil types have proven to be of practical use for those who might have construction projects in the works on the farm.
"What I was working on is finding out which soil is the best to use to retain moisture where it's not going to make your foundation crack under weight loads," she explained. "The actual experiment was going out and finding three different types of soils that are readily used in Northeast Oklahoma by contractors and taking those to a testing company, adding in the moisture and finding out which one is compacting right that won't fall apart when you are using it."
In the end, Parrish discovered sandy loam soil works the best when laying ground work for the foundation of a building and will hold up the heaviest loads. Parrish says this information can come in handy for those considering any construction projects on the homestead.
"It's awesome to use for whether you're a contractor in the field, whether you're just a farmer building on your farm or if you're wanting to build a house - you can this this information that I came up with," Parrish offered.
Parrish first came up with the idea to do her own agriscience report after seeing all the fun her classmates were having with their own. She credits her ag teacher with pushing her and other chapter members to pursue their interests in agriscience and to use it as a tool to figure out everyday challenges.
After graduating Parrish hopes to become a teacher and plans to get her certification through the University of Central Oklahoma.
You can hear her entire conversation with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays, by clicking or tapping on the LISTEN BAR below.
A complete list of the District Stars can be seen on the Oklahoma FFA website by clicking or tapping here.
Our salute of the 2017 District Stars of the Oklahoma FFA is brought to you by American Farmers & Ranchers, proud to support Oklahoma's youth. Visit the AFR website by clicking or tapping here to learn more on how AFR supports the young people of Oklahoma, and how AFR can provide you with quality insurance for your home, auto, farm, and life.
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