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Auctioneer Billy Slaton rattles off prices during the Sulphur Bluff FFA Auction Saturday. The auction raised a total of $29,000 for the small FFA chapter. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer -
From left, Sulphur Bluff High School students Sam Foley, DeWitt Brookins, Shane Stanley and Montana Hurley spot bids during the FFA auction Saturday evening. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
Event raises $29,000 for small chapter
As the auctioneer rattles off the starting bid for a handcrafted bench, the young bid spotters watch the crowd sitting in a warm, open-air room. A nod here, and a tall young man with shaggy hair tucked under a cap shouts, and the price goes up.
This was the scene at Saturday’s Sulphur Bluff FFA auction and fish fry, an annual event of vital importance to the chapter.
“It basically funds our whole next year,” SBFFA advisor Sam Stanley said. “All the contests we go to, it’s where the money comes out of. Anything we do that’s FFA-related is paid through this auction for the most part.”
It’s been harder this year due to COVID-19 restrictions limiting big fundraisers, but smaller fundraisers like FFA members selling fruit and meat during the fall helped. Although pandemic meant no auction for a time, it also meant no events to pay to enter.
“Everybody was in the same boat on that,” Stanley said. “It hurt us this year, but we managed to pinch pennies here and there and got through it.”
SBFFA’s auctions usually raise about $13,000 for the upcoming year, and Stanley said the crowd before the auction started that he does not want funds to be an obstacle for any student looking to participate in FFA.
“All the contests we go to range anywhere from $25 up to $500-600 per team,” Stanley said. “If you don’t have the funds there, you just don’t go.”
The auction not only lists agricultural products but includes all sorts of items like gift certificates donated by local businesses and desserts contributed by community members. Stanley said he appreciates everyone who attends the auction, even if they don’t plan to buy, and said spreading awareness is important.
“The best thing you can do is get out there and help spread the word,” Stanley said. “The more the word spreads, the more educated people become, and that’s what we’re all about.”
FFA stands for Future Farmers of America, and helping local chapters means helping the future generation of people who will make sure the milk keeps flowing, the crops keep growing and animals keep producing.
“At least once in your life, you’ll beed a police officer, a doctor, and a lawyer,” Stanley said. “But you need a farmer or rancher three times a day. That’s how important this is.”
And this auction? It raised $29,000 for SBFFA and its members.
“The Sulphur Bluff community is the greatest around and we thank everyone for all their support,” Stanley said.