Jan. 06, 2026
Meeting Place: Gilbert High School Classroom – 7 p.m.
Welcome \ Introductions: Don kicked off our meeting.
Guest and family additions: none
Treasurer Report: Pay your dues now as we start the new year. We still have people who haven’t paid for 2025, let’s get dues paid early this year. Al paid for 2 trophies for the Iowa State fair for 2026.
Old Business: We need providers for 2026.
New Business: We may have someone from Feb. and possibly March.
Discussion Items: none
Auction or Threshing events: None
For Sale or Wish List: 1948, 8N ford for sale. John Deere, 360 with new motor for sale.
Presentation: Adam Davis, Ag Instructor at Gilbert High School talked about the 8th grade trip he took along with 6 students and 3 chaperons to Greece. There were 5 girls and one boy from Gilbert. The school they visited was founded in 1902 and contains a 40-acre campus with dormitories. It’s a non-profit school that has pre-K through college. They have numerous gardens and farms for the students to work. Gilbert ag class was invited by the Greece President to help start CTSO donation and fund raising. School days are 12-14 hrs. long. The Gilbert kids selected were 2 presidents, 2 past presidents, and 2 freshmen so they could hopefully go back later. The relationship with the Greek school will continue for years. The FFA group in Greece started with 12 kids in the 2nd largest city in the NE part of Greece. The Greek students and Gilbert students were together most of the time. Greece grads from the American farm school attend the tours.
In Greece they have orchards, dairies, bees, goats, grains fields and vineyards. They are slowing shifting from cattle to goats due to the climate and gas concerns from cattle.
The school has made over 3 million yearly for produces sold from the school, along with cheese, eggs, turkeys, grapes, honey, and a lot of other items. They have a green house. There are 80 non-teaching employees at the school. While on the trip students were able to pick pomegranates off the trees and eat them.
In their museum they had a McCormick 61 combine, 6410 Ford donation tractor that was split so they could study the inside. They also toured a meat packing plant. At many of the places they visited the students were given $100 in product. The students were able to try various meats and sea foods. The school has 800 Olive trees. The students tried olives also, but didn’t seem thrilled about the taste. They produce a lot of Feta cheese which was not a favorite of the students.
For their corn corps they average 120 bushel per acre. For Greece this corn yield is considered good; however, by Iowa standards its terrible and more comparable to US out put in 1960s. Today in the US the bushel per acre can be more than 300 bushel per acre.
They went to vineyards to see how the wine was produced; however, they couldn’t have samples. They sell the leaves to be utilized for various food prep items. One dish uses the grape leaf to wrap rice inside. The leaf must have thin veins and stems to keep them tender for food dishes. They have 400–500-year-old farms in Greece. They also have 3000 acres for large farms and 40 acres for smaller farms. They visited a turkey farm, ag mechanic facility, fields where they grew fruits and veggies.
For equipment they have a wide variety in Greece. They prefer John Deere but use anything they can obtain. In Greece the ag students are mainly male. They have private schools, 60 students per grade and didn’t say what the cost was per student.
The also sell seasonings such as Basil, lemon, dill, and grains which is primarily rice. They sell grape leaves, 60 to a bundle for $20.
June 2026 Gilbert is planning to host 15 students from Greece along with their President. They plan to attend the FFA National convention. Plane tickets are really expensive.
The Greece famer of the year has grain drills, planter and the best of equipment. They use commercial fertilizer; however, most farmers use manure. Equipment must be up to spec and pass open air laws.