KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- Meet 17-year-old of Kristin Ayer of Kirksville. She has been involved with raising greenhouse plants and selling them for the past two years. Kristin was never involved in agriculture till she saw her sister get involved in FFA and decided to follow in her footsteps.
“She really enjoyed it a lot and she was pretty into it. So when I got to high school, I was like ‘I want to be in ag.’ So that’s what I did.”
Since her sophomore year, Kristin has done various horticulture projects such as garden mums in the fall and strawberry plants in the spring. This year was her 1st year in competing in the NEMO Fair where she won Champion, Grand Champion, and Reserve Champion. But it takes a lot of tender loving care to make her plants grow.
“I have to take them from the pots that they come in and put them into bigger pots so they can grow faster. Then I mix up the soil and make sure there is water in the soil because it doesn’t get absorbed by the soil so I put in a lot. Then I mix it in with fertilizer and put all the good stuff to make it grow. Then I plant them and water them everyday till they are ready to be sold.”
Kristin says the most rewarding part of her FFA project is working with her customers.
“You get to interact with those people and seeing them that they’re happy and that they appreciate the things that you grow. So it makes you feel good.”
Kristin wants to continue working in agriculture as she heads on to college.
“I know I want to stay in the agriculture area, maybe minor in horticulture because it’s something I’ve totally become interested in.”
Kristin hopes to attend Mizzou next fall where she is planning to major in hospitality and management. She hopes to use those skills as she goes further in the agriculture field.
Congratulations Kristin on being this week’s Ag Kid.
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