Cottondale FFA Holds Annual Officer Retreat

The 2019-2020 Cottondale High School FFA officer team visited Plant City, Florida July 25-27 for their annual Officer Retreat. The officers visited the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural Life Sciences at Hillsborough Community College, University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research Center, met with the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, and Highland Ag Solutions. Visiting these facilities introduced the officer team to the diversity of agriculture in Florida, in addition to some of the challenges the industry is facing today. While attending UF’s Plant City branches, the officers learned about the different majors offered at the university. Highland Ag Solutions also left the officers with a newfound sense of knowledge of the various career opportunities in the agricultural industry in the technology sector. On the final night of the retreat, the officers participated in an escape room activity to develop team building and working together productively. The officers also conducted daily meetings to construct and plan the chapter’s activities for the upcoming school year.