National FFA Week: Woodland FFA division makes name through state forestry competitions

MARBLE HILL — Woodland School District’s FFA Chapter has qualified for state competitions in forestry for the past three years and looks to do it again in 2024, but other teams are ready to compete at the state level, too.

With Woodland schools having “just under 160 acres”, including larger patches of woods and nature, FFA sponsor and agriculture teacher Joe Ridings said the area caters to educating students in forestry.

“It is a huge industry in the state of Missouri, and especially in this county, even more economically in this county,” Ridings said. “This entire community is a forestry-based community.”

Ridings said they don’t just teach forestry with the land they have, but also have a complete horse-judging team competing in this year’s competition, a senior ag mechanics team that will be competing and a freshman livestock judging team.

He said since the forestry team has qualified for state for the last three years, he hopes to do it again, but also be first in the district.

Maddie Allen, left, and Presley Ridings hold up Biltmore sticks to practice measuring trees for their FFA competitions near Woodland High School on Friday, Feb. 9, in Marble Hill.Nathan Gladden

“It’s really hard to qualify at state. It’s tough, but, I mean, if I have a group that’s going to do it in the next several years, it’s probably this group,” Ridings said.

One of the students who will be competing is Ridings’ daughter and student, Presley Ridings. Presley said when getting ready for competitions, she’ll practice any chance she gets.

“We’ll go through the (tree) species repeatedly until we can remember them,” she said. “(Horse judging team) they’ll watch videos repeatedly over the horses. We just practice, practice, practice.”

Presley said she loves being able to go to state competitions and meet new people.

Woodland student Maddie Allen said she appreciates being able to go out on the property and practice and learn for their competitions.

Joe Ridings helps Maddie Allen and Presley Ridings with spotting tree species while they practice for their FFA competition Friday, Feb. 9, in Marble Hill.Nathan Gladden

“Not many schools have the farm to be able to do it every day like we do,” Allen said.

Joe said he loves the fact he’s able to work with his daughter in classes and the field.

“I’m just really blessed to have her in my classes,” he said. “She’s just good-natured and loves to jump in and help and learn.”

Joe said the FFA program is a lot about building up their students’ skills and putting them to the test.

Ridings also said he is applying for a grant to acquire supplies for a drone.

Presley Ridings, left, holds a Biltmore stick up to a tree while she tries to measure it while practicing for forestry competitions Friday, Feb. 9, in Marble Hill.Nathan Gladden

“Drone agriculture is seriously the future of agriculture in so many ways. They’ve been doing crop scouting for quite a while now, but now there’s crop dusting with drones, and there’s all kind of survey work done,” he said. “I mean, if they can come out of this school with an FAA certification, that is huge.”

He said he wants to be a step ahead in tech, so the students can have a leg up. Ridings said he is happy to see students learning in high school what he learned in college.