Woodward-Granger agriculture classes, FFA chapter producing large yield

WOODWARD — Anyone who believes that today’s students have no interest in agriculture need only look at what is transpiring at Woodward-Granger High School for a quick correction of their beliefs.

Instructor Nichole Gent currently has 174 members in the W-G chapter of the Future Farmers of America. Many are familiar with FFA through their dark blue corduroy jackets, and the green-dyed hands of initiates, but there is far more to the nationwide organization than the most common identifiers, as several W-G students recently learned.

Chandler Cavanaugh, Joe Manning, Austin Ober, Connor Oleson, Sam Palmer and Hunter Pierce traveled with Gent to the National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis Oct. 18-21, an experience Gent said “offered one learning opportunity after another.”

“They were able to network with agricultural vendors and companies to better serve our FFA chapter and the Woodward-Granger community,” she explained. “We also attended leadership workshops and the career fair as well as industry tours. The students were also able to tour John Deer and Caterpillar facilities.”

Numerous keynote speakers addressed the students, who were gathered from around the continental United States. A variety of workshops were available, and several inspirational concerts were held.

Gent said students from grades 7-12 were welcome to become involved with FFA and the ag classes at W-G. Currently 12 such classes are offered, including five from DMACC: Agronomy, Animal Science, Agribusiness Management, Ag Leagership and Ag Internship. Also offered are: Introduction to Ag, Welding, Construction, Ag Mechanics, Horticulture, Independent Construction and Mechanics and a Middle School Exploratory class. DMACC classes can be taken for both high school and college credit.

Currently a small group of students from ADM, DC-G, Ogden and Madrid travel to Woodward to take Ag classes. It was recently announced that Perry and W-G had reached an agreement allowing Perry students to join the growing list of students literally making a drive to further their ag education.

Perry has not offered ag classes for over two decades and would initially send three or four students to W-G, although that number could double. PHS students would start in the second semester.

PHS Principal Dan Marburger said he was appreciative of W-G accepting the Perry students, especially as the overall interest in Perry does not rise to the level of making the financial costs of starting a new program fiscally sound.

This is not the first time the two schools have allowed students from one district to attend classes in the other, as several W-G students were once enrolled in automotive classes at Perry. Those classes have not been offered for at least 15 years, Marburger said.

“Any reasonable chance we have of increasing the educational opportunities for our students is something we are going to look at,” he said. “It is great that they (W-G) are willing to take our students.”