An innovative partnership between Mahomet Seymour’s FFA and a local agribusiness means real life experience for high school students and low prices for community members.
On October 15, the Mahomet Seymour Ag Supply Store, will start partnering with Priarieland Feeds of Savoy, said Jennifer Wherley, MSHS Agriculture teacher and FFA sponsor. The partnership means the Ag Store’s product line will greatly expand.
“Purina will now be our supplier through Prairieland Feeds,” Wherley explained. Before, the store only sold Kent brand feeds. “Our customers will be excited to see popular brands on our shelves such as Purina, Science Diet, Eukanuba, Kaytee, and IAMS. Any product not in our store we can order per your request,” according to the announcement on the Ag Supply Store’s Facebook page.
“It’s a little overwhelming,” Wherley said. “Before my directors only had to be familiar with 16 different products, but now they have to be familiar with the whole store.” Students who run the store are referred to as directors, she said.
Parakeets, hamsters, horses and dogs. Ag Store directors need to be familiar with the foods available for all types of animals. Not only that, but there are different brands of pet foods to be familiar with.
“The directors have been training each other about the products,” Wherley said. “They are coming up with power point presentations so they know which brand to offer customers and why.”
The partnership between the Ag Store and Prairieland feeds was the idea of Wherley, said Garry Herzog, owner of Prairieland Feeds. “She made the inquiry. I was an FFA member, and I thought it was a great opportunity to teach the students about entrepreneurialship. I think it is a phenomenal program. I’m very impressed. It is fun and it is a learning experience. I love working with the local community and supporting local organizations, especially those in agriculture.”
Mahomet’s store initially was funded from a Mahomet Seymour School’s Foundation grant 6 years ago to give students in Wherley’s Agribusiness class real life experience. “The students don’t just read about supply and demand in a text,” Wherley said. “They participate in the different aspects of running a business.”
The store does not make a profit, instead students who work at the store earn scholarship money based on their work performance.
“The profit gets divided up among the students. I call it the best way to invest in yourself. Students can get real world experience without real world consequences. They can learn and make mistakes in a safe environment. Sixteen year old kids are the store managers,” Wherley stated.
The Ag Store also sells plants. “Our horticulture students grow the plants in our greenhouse and our business students sell the plants. It’s not like fund raising. Here the profit margin goes directly to the student’s future,” according to Wherley.
The amount of scholarship money a student earns varies depending on how long they have worked with the store and that student’s sales abilities. “Some students come out with between $800-$1,000 toward college. Some end up with $150,” Wherley explained. “The hardest lesson the kids learn is working together to achieve something. They have to work with people who have different management styles. Usually they conqueror that by second semester.”
Senior Mitch Holmes is the director of pricing for the Ag Store. He said the change from Kent to Purina was because it was felt Purina was a more popular feed choice. “We’re giving the people what they want,” he said.
He said they are “totally changing the look of the store. There are new shelves, new price tags.” And the numbers that go on those price tags are determined by Holmes. “We buy the product at cost and then I come up with a price that will make us the most profit, but that is still reasonable for the consumer,” Holmes said. He said he has had some direction from Prairieland Feeds on what to price items at. And some of the prices are determined by Prairieland Feeds.
Holmes has worked in the store all four years of his high school career. “This class is for anyone who wants to learn about agribusiness or ag economics. But it also teaches basic business skills. You are selling an ag product, but the principals apply to any business. I could open a store that sells clothes using what I’ve learned here.”
The advent of the Ag Store/Prairieland Feeds partnership isn’t the only change for the FFA this school year, Wherley said.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but on October 15th, we will announce our calendar of events on our web site,” Wherley said. There will be a new marketing event each month such as stocking stuffers, wreaths and centerpieces around the December holidays, and flowering plants for sale in the spring.
Another exciting addition to Mahomet Seymour’s program is the start of FFA at Mahomet Seymour Junior High School. Thirty Six students signed up to join the junior high’s FFA, Wherley proudly stated. The first meeting focused on leadership and team building. The next meeting will be in November, and Wherley said she anticipates the junior high club may have some opportunities to participate in agriscience projects, just like the high school chapter does.
Mahomet Seymour’s FFA chapter is growing and changing to keep up with the times. Wherley said membership has grown from 12 members when she became sponsor, to almost 100 members. About half of the members live on a farm, Wherley said. She said other students are just curious about agriculture.
“Students see the potential career opportunities in agriculture,” Wherley said. It’s a growing industry in Champaign County and throughout Illinois.
Herzog said he is looking forward to meeting with the students and working out the logistics of the store. “I want to make it an easy, learning experience. I want them to keep their enthusiasm and keep them moving forward.”
