by Garrick Moritz, Gazette
It’s FFA Week, and this year the Garretson FFA Chapter is starting something brand new. GHS Agri-Talk is the new, student led podcast the FFA students are trying out.
“This was something we talked about a couple of years ago, but this year we’ve actually been able to make it happen,” said FFA Chapter President Hannah Frewaldt.
“Thanks to some Perkins Grant funding, the students have all the equipment they need,” said FFA Advisor Alysha Kientopf.
A sound board, Bose brand microphone, and everything they need for a portable digital studio. Recording the podcast using school computers and a micro-SD storage devise.
“Our first podcast will be coming out this week, and it’s an interview with Oran Sorenson about the history of our FFA chapter,” said Frewaldt.
“The students have had a real interesting time learning the ins and outs of how to make a podcast, video and audio editing and using the computer to make it all work and into a finished product,” said Kientopf. “They’ve learned it all themselves from start to finish, how to use the equipment and the programs necessary. They’ve spent a lot of time recording, but have discovered that editing can be the most time-consuming part of it, though it has all been fun. We hoped to release the first episode just before FFA Week started, but it wasn’t quite where they wanted it to be, so they’ll release it very soon.”
Likely by the time readers see this story the first episode will be up on Spotify, which is the platform where it can be found. After the first episode on the history of the chapter, other episodes are already in process, like an entire episode on beef, the various cuts and how to cook them. Next episode will be on how social media has changed the awareness of the agriculture industry. As they continue, they plan to feature episodes interviewing local farmers and ag operators, getting details of their operation, and how their business and practices have changed over the decades.
Though most podcasts will happen in the Ag building classroom, their equipment is portable and so they can take their studio on the move and do a podcast anywhere they can get plugged in. It’s also completely student-driven and egalitarian.
“If any student has an idea for a podcast, we can pick it up and run with it,” said Kientopf. “It’s their show for that topic for that day.”
So far twelve GHS Students have been involved in various aspects of the podcast, and they are Jakob Gnadt, Andrew Stensland, Luke Persing, Elijah Winterton, Dylan Woltmann, Austin Graph, Vivian Johnson, Hannah Frewaldt, Brooklyn Trudeau, Jacoby Costello, Lane Ellefson and Collin Shellum.
“It’s been fun to watch them stretch their creativity and adaptability,” said Kientopf. “I can’t wait to see what they do with it.”
Other FFA Events this Week
The FFA Petting Zoo will be happening today, Thursday Feb. 22 and the FFA Sponsored Blood Drive will be Wednesday, Feb. 28 starting at 7:30 a.m.
The Garretson FFA Bloodmobile will be held on Wednesday, February 28 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (there will be a break between 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
