FFA, family farm inspire Evans

For those who don’t know what the FFA program is about, they might assume the Future Farmers of America organization is about developing youth to become farmers. Some do, but the program spans more than farming.

The national youth organization for high school students helps them identify career goals and develop leadership skills as they pursue careers as marketers, engineers, veterinarians, scientists and economists.

For Halle Evans, a senior at Creston Community High School, FFA has helped her build the confidence to become more involved in school and the community, ultimately helping her land thousands of dollars in competitive scholarships to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian at Iowa State University.

“When I first entered my freshman year, I would say I was pretty shy and I didn’t want to get up in front of people and talk. But now I’m super comfortable with doing that,” Evans said. “I can be confident when I’m talking to a person, like, in an interview.”

Evans lives on a generational family farm with her parents, Rob and April. The Evans raise beef cattle, swine and poultry.

“Even when we used to live in town, we always had a farm in Cromwell, so I always remember going out there to ween calves ... were always doing something out of the farm,” she said.

As a child, Evans became interested in 4-H when her older sister Macy joined.

“I was always helping her with all of her chores, the rinsing of the calves, walking of the pigs, every day even though I wasn’t necessarily old enough to do it myself,” she said.

A career in veterinary science has always interested Evans.

“When I was little, I would always have arguments with my dad when it comes to calving,” Evans said. “I’d be like, that cow needs a C-section just because I wanted to see one so bad. So I always thought that kind of stuff was cool.”

In raising livestock, Evans has met a number of area veterinarians, who have taught her a lot.

“They’re always willing to explain what they’re doing,” she said.

Evans work along side her father and local veterinarians has helped her complete supervised agricultural experiences, ag projects, in FFA, where she chose to raise livestock.

“My SAEs are beef cattle, swine, and then poultry,” she said. “I do broilers where I raised, like, 100 boilers at a time.”

Evans’ efforts earned her the SAE Production Star award at the annual FFA banquet in 2020.

When Evans graduates high school this year, she will have accrued more than 250 community service hours as part of her FFA involvement, which brings her a sense of pride.

“It just makes me feel like a better person when I’m involved in the community and the school.”