LCHS HOSA and FFA Join Forces to Promote Health and Safety in Agriculture

The next generation of LaRue County leaders is working to make farming not only more productive, but safer and healthier for everyone involved. Members of the LaRue County High School Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters recently joined forces to highlight the importance of health in agriculture — a message especially vital to rural communities like LaRue County.

“We recently took all of our HOSA officers up to the AG Day, and we were able to represent our HOSA chapter and others throughout the state to introduce our partnership with FFA promoting farmers’ health and safety,” said Brylee Dobson, an LCHS HOSA officer. “I was able to give a speech to all the farmers there about what HOSA is and what we plan to do.”

Through the collaboration, students are emphasizing that health and agriculture go hand-in-hand. Farming remains one of the most physically demanding and high-risk professions, with challenges ranging from long hours and repetitive strain to accidents involving heavy machinery. By connecting HOSA’s focus on health sciences with FFA’s expertise in agriculture, students hope to raise awareness about the health and safety of farm families across Kentucky.

Adam Reding, a member of the LCHS FFA chapter, said the experience offered valuable lessons and connections: “We took about 40 kids to represent our FFA chapter in Murray, Kentucky, and got to meet some local businesses related to agriculture. That really helps students see all the potential there is in this field — and that anything they’re interested in is almost guaranteed to exist in agriculture.”

The event also highlighted the ongoing investment being made in agricultural education and safety initiatives statewide. Tyson Clopton added that “we also got a grant of $200,000 to split throughout chapters,” funding that will help expand programming and outreach related to farm health and safety.

In communities like LaRue County, where agriculture is both heritage and livelihood, the partnership between HOSA and FFA represents a new generation taking old wisdom seriously — that a healthy farm begins with healthy farmers.