Yelm High School’s FFA broke records by raising $33,189 at its annual plant sale last week. Proceeds from the event directly benefit the YHS FFA chapter.
Matt Mounts, YHS FFA advisor and agriculture teacher at the school, said he woke up around 2 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, April 25, because he was stressed about the rain.
“I thought nobody would want to go to a plant sale in the rain. The community decided it was definitely worth their while to come stand in the rain. It went beyond expectations,” Mounts said. “If you would rewind to three years ago, we did more money in sales in the first two and a half hours last Thursday than we did in the entire plant sale three years ago.”
Mounts added that by 11 a.m. on the opening day of the sale, Yelm’s FFA program had raised over $25,200. He said it was unreal to see the number of plants purchased in the first couple hours of the event.
The longtime FFA advisor said it meant everything to see the community turnout despite strong rains, noting there were cars parked all the way down Tornado Alley, and even people in line before 6 a.m.
“It was definitely a bright spot in some interesting times here in this community. It was a definite bright spot, and reading online on our FFA Plant Sale event page, seeing all the compliments and the compliments to the students on how hard they were working and their good attitudes in the rain — it definitely meant a lot,” Mounts said. “We also had more students than we’ve ever had help before. We had close to 125 students the morning of the plant sale, and it took every single one of them — every ounce of effort they had.”
Yelm’s FFA chapter has set a new plant sale record in funds raised each of the last three years, and Mounts said the program emphasizes different aspects that helped reach record-breaking numbers.
He said the three biggest areas of emphasis include a focused program goal, receiving outstanding support from the community and getting creative in increasing square footage to grow plants within the greenhouse.
“We definitely did more baskets this year, and I don’t think we could’ve fit another basket anywhere,” Mounts said. “Trying to figure out how to go vertical to increase square footage has helped a lot.”
Following the conclusion of the plant sale, Mounts said he’ll debrief his students. Although specific 2025 goals are still to be determined, Mounts said he and the students want to smooth out pickup efficiency, utilizing as much square footage as possible in the greenhouse to increase vegetable starts, and to provide the best quality products possible.
“The community’s participation and understanding and willingness to stand in line means the world to the kids and the program,” Mounts said. “I’ve heard a lot of kids talk about how stressed they were before the plant sale, and after they saw everyone show up, how it made it all worthwhile.”
Senior Mara Ottman, three-year FFA member and current chapter president, said the class spent about four months preparing for the plant sale. She said each greenhouse is split into several sections and has one manager. Each greenhouse section has assigned leaders and workers.
“It builds that business aspect where you go from workers all the way up to managers,” Ottman said. “You can work your way up through the years if you come back to the class.”
Ottman, who will attend Washington State University to pursue a career in agriculture, said the process of organizing the plant sale was very rewarding.
“It was sad to see all of our hard work go when the plants go, but it’s rewarding in the fact that we make a lot of money. That money goes straight back to the FFA program,” Ottman said.
“Every student in this greenhouse class has the opportunity to be an FFA member for free because of this plant sale. The remaining money pays for things like events, competitions or anything the students need. It all goes back to the students.
“It was rewarding because we got to make more money, but it’s not just about the money,” Ottman added. “The community loves it and they’re happy to support us. We’re happy to give back to our community too.”
Senior Collin Saywers, a four-year FFA member and chapter vice president, said the plant sale went very well with everything considered.
“There was a lot of rain, and we weren’t expecting the community to show up as much as they did [compared with] last year,” Saywers said. “But we were wrong. They showed up in numbers, fought the rain, and we did pretty good.”
The senior said it was heartwarming to see that the Yelm community supports the FFA so much. “It was very encouraging, not just for me, but for other FFA members that will be here after I leave,” Saywers said.
Saywers said he gained an abundance of leadership skills through the FFA program at Yelm.
“I’m much better at public speaking, and I gained a lot of confidence,” Saywers said. “I’ve also gotten to understand helping others and community service in a way I wouldn’t have if I didn’t do FFA. I think it’s a really valuable experience.”
Saywers also plans to run for state office at the state convention, and if elected, he said he will spend the next year serving FFA throughout the entire state of Washington.
