TOP PHOTO: Campbell County High School Junior Isaac Jones addressed county Commissioners on Monday evening about the Future Farmers of America organization.

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – Campbell County High School Junior Isaac Jones addressed county Commissioners on Monday evening about the Future Farmers of America organization.

He told commissioners he was running for the FFA Regional office in East Tennessee.

“I attended a prep course at Tennessee Tech University, and they encouraged me to get out and speak publicly. FFA is one of the largest national youth organizations in America and is present in all 50 states,” Jones said.

He told commissioners there were “important issues on the horizon for our state and affecting us right here in Campbell County.”

“State wide farm loss is a big deal. There have been 1.1 million acres lost in 20 years… That’s 152 acres of lost farm land a day,” Jones said.

He reported the “number one factor to farm loss is death.” Often someone passes away, and their heirs do not want to keep the family farm and sell it off.

“That’s left up to ya’ll to fix. It’s your job to encourage people to not sell their farmland,” Jones said.

He also reported that Campbell County is “one of the leading counties for agricultural tourism” and that it could play a viable role in the retention of farm land in the county. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 01/09/2024-6AM)

Related