The week of Valentine’s Day, the FFA seniors and officers traveled to San Antonio to explore Texas’ agricultural opportunities.
On Monday, the group flew from Billings to Dallas and then from Dallas to San Antonio. They arrived at the hotel around one in the morning and slept in a bit the next morning.
On Tuesday morning, the group traveled around downtown San Antonio and walked down the esteemed San Antonio Riverwalk. On the walk, they saw the Kallison Love Lock Wall Bridge, which is known for the thousands of locks put on the bridge by couples to show their love for each other.
“The trip was an adventure, and I was able to learn many different things,” senior Dani McDonald said. “I would consider Texas as a place to further my education and even as a long-term place to live.”
In the afternoon, the group toured the famous Alamo fort, the place of the last stand for many famous historical figures. They also shopped around the Rivercenter Mall and ate dinner by the riverwalk.
“I love getting to see new areas especially when they are so different from Powell Wyoming. It was a fun trip with memories that will last forever,” junior Hadley Cooper said. “I also had the opportunity to strengthen and build relationships with fellow FFA members. I also love getting to experience new things especially agricultural related.
On Wednesday, the group got up early to drive three hours to tour the King Ranch, the largest ranch in the U.S. There they learned about Captain King, the founder of King Ranch, and got to see many different species of animals that inhabit the ranch.
“I was shocked to learn how big some of the ranches in Texas are, like King Ranch, which is bigger than Rhode Island,” Cooper said. “When we visited King Ranch I was shocked to see that the grass was still green, and cattle were still grazing in pastures, sometimes I forget that other places have very mild winters, which lead to different management practices.”
After the King Ranch tour, they drove down to Corpus Christi and got to hang out at the beach by the Gulf of America. That night they ate at the famed Pinkertons barbeque restaurant in San Antonio.
On Thursday the group spent the day at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Here the group explored the vendors, stock shows, and qualifying rodeos displayed there. That evening they went to the San Antonio Ranch Rodeo and watched as many famous Texas ranches faced off against each other.
This rodeo had many fun events such as the rescue race, the wild cow milking race, and the rawhide race. Famous ranch influencer Dale Brisby was also seen at the rodeo. That night they watched Muscadine Bloodline perform in concert, the duo played some of their well-known songs like Rattlesnake Ridge, Me on You, and Pieces.
On Friday the group traveled roughly four hours to tour the American Blue Team Weathers Boer Goat Association ranch north of San Antonio. There they were shown all of the facilities and processes that this goat ranch had to offer. They even were there in time to watch a baby goat being born.
“My favorite part on the trip was when we toured the Blue Team Wethers boer goat farm and got to watch one of the kids be pulled due to a breach,” McDonald said. “Overall, the trip was an adventure, and I was able to learn many different things. I would consider Texas as a place to further my education and even as a long-term place to live.”
On Saturday morning the group traveled back home and were not so pleased with the negative-degree weather, high wind warnings, and all of the snow they were greeted with.
“I am very grateful that we had the opportunity to take FFA members on this trip,” Cooper said. “It was overall a good experience.”
