Eighteen members of the Cortez FFA chapter and two chaperones drove to Denver on Jan. 19 to attend the National Western Stock Show and agriculture-related tours.
On Jan. 20, FFA members visited three agriculture-related businesses to learn more about food production, processing and careers. The first tour was at Hammond’s Candy Factory, which has been in business almost 95 years.
After touring the factory, which makes chocolate and hard candies by hand, members toured Innovative Foods in Evans, Colo. Innovative Foods is a custom meat processing plant that performs custom livestock and game processing and as well as processing for Whole Foods stores.
The last tour of the day was of Colorado Serum Co., which makes vaccines and serums for livestock. Students learned that vaccines are to prevent diseases and serums are used to treat animals who are already diagnosed with a certain disease. Located in downtown Denver, the company utilizes 100 draft horse, 100 steers, and hundreds of goats, sheep, geese, rabbits, and other small animals to produce antibodies and other products to make vaccines. After the tours, students attended a Denver Nuggets game.
FFA members spent Jan. 21 at the stock show, watching the livestock shows visiting vendors. In the evening, members went to the rodeo.
On Jan. 22, FFA members headed back to Cortez, stopping on the way at the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs.
The FFA members earned a spot on the trip by meeting point requirements and school eligibility rules, and selling FFA fruit.
Travis Greenlee and Amanda Ramos sponsored the trip.