Out of the Past in Pictures ffa

FFA 1986

Fairfield Future Farmers of America community service chairman Shawn Schillerstrom, left, and Craig Elmore set out strawberry plants using the chapter?s crop transplant machine in mid-April of 1986.

As a community service, the chapter purchased the $750 machine for free use by area residents interested in raising an alternative cash crop, such as strawberries, raspberries, broccoli or tomatoes, at a time when depressed price levels for traditional grain crops had agriculture specialists recommending farmers diversify.

Ed and Pat Drzycimski of Brighton were the first to plant a cash crop with the machine. Their two-acre ?pick-your-own? strawberry patch north of Perlee had 11,000 plants. Mr. Drzycimski said they could plant about 300 plants in 10 minutes or 1,000 plants in an hour. Elmore was Drzycimski's hired hand.

Other area residents who used the machine were Doug and Lynn Johnson to plant raspberries and Norman and Dorian Atwood to plant broccoli and green peppers.

The transplanter was attached by a three-point hitch to a small ?two-plow? tractor going at a slow speed. A tank attached to the transplanter could be filled with water or a mix of water and fertilizer to be applied while planting.

Funding for the machine came from money raised by the chapter?s fall fruit sale and its county fair food booth. The machine was purchased from Pickin? Patch Inc. in Etna Green, Ind., and arrived in March at Fairfield High School. Senior vocational ag students assembled it.

Keith Wells was the FHS ag instructor and FFA adviser. In 1986, the local chapter had 65 members, including six young women. Young women started joining the club around 1975.

The current Fairfield FFA Chapter, with about 20 members, is observing National FFA Week through Saturday.