Youth News
Meet Your 2018 Southeast Area FFA Star in Agriscience, John Shepherd of the Valliant FFA Chapter
Wed, 11 Apr 2018 10:40:20 CDT
During the month of April, the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and Oklahoma Farm Report is spotlighting the twenty Area Stars of Oklahoma FFA that are among the highest achievers in the organization. The stars come from the five areas in four categories- Star in Ag Placement, Star in Agriscience, Star in Agribusiness and Star in Production Agriculture. This week, we are spotlighting the five area stars in Agriscience, who will compete for the State Star Award in Agriscience during the Oklahoma State FFA Convention coming up May 1-2, 2018 in Oklahoma City.
Today, we are spotlighting the Southeast Area Star in Agriscience, John Shepherd of the Valliant FFA Chapter. Throughout his time in high school, Shepherd has been employed at a local river float business, working his way up from the bottom to eventually general manager. Part of his essential duties in that role has been to monitor the weather and rainfall amounts throughout the float season to determine the river's water level and flow for customer safety. Shepherd turned this part of his job into an agriscience project as a way to combine his interest in both his job and agriculture. He shared the conclusions of his project and explained how they have helped him to be better at his job and deepen his knowledge of the science behind the physics of water flow.
"For about every 1-inch of rain we had, the lake level would rise 6 to 8-inches which would cause the release over the next couple of days to be a little bit more drastic because with all of the gates open at the lake, the water level will drop about 6-inches per day," he explained. "So, that 1-inch of rainfall is a whole day of release for the lake."
As general manager, Shepherd says managing people is a big part of his job. He credits FFA with giving him the leadership tools he needs to effectively delegate and direct his staff. He says more than anything, it has developed his speaking skills and helped him to better communicate with people, acknowledging the importance of that skill in management position. Upon graduation, Shepherd hopes to pursue a business degree in college with an emphasis in management and marketing.
You can hear his entire conversation with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays, by clicking or tapping on the LISTEN BAR below.
Our salute of the 2018 Area Stars of the Oklahoma FFA is brought to you by American Farmers & Ranchers and AFR Insurance, 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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