Dresden FFA Chapter is Springing Forward

Dresden FFA's first lettuce grown hydroponically.

The Dresden FFA Chapter is in bloom, and students are gearing up for another busy spring on the heels of a very active fall season.

Over the last few months, the Chapter competed and secured awards and participated in several career development and learning opportunities. The Horse Judging Team placed 2nd in the district for the 2022-23 school year, and the Soil Judging Team brought home the 3rd place spot. Officers and first year members attended the Greenhand/COLT Conference where they learned more about FFA leadership. Chapter members attended the Mid-South Agricultural Finance Conference at UT Martin to learn about agricultural finance. Club members also participated in the UT Martin Speaking Invitational at Trenton at the end of January.

This week, Dresden FFA announced Proficiency Award Recipients.

Tanner Floyd, 1st in District and West TN for Poultry Production and will advance to State Competition

• Dalton Sampley, 1st in District and 2nd in West TN for Ag Mechanics Design and Fabrication
• Destanie Dean, 1st in District and 3rd in West TN for Ag Communications
• Adrianne Todd, 1st in District and 3rd in West TN for Ag Mechanics Repair and Maintenance
• Wylie Ogg, 2nd in District and 5th in West TN for Beef Production
• Creed Melton, 2nd in District and 8th in West TN for Diversified Crop
• Rebecca Frazier, 1st in District and 4th in West TN for Equine Placement
• Cayden Lowry, 1st in District and 2nd in West TN for Nursery Operations
• Miller Moore, 1st in District and 2nd in West TN for Swine Production
• Amanda Perry, 1st in District and 4th in West TN for Service Learning

Student interest in the club is growing among younger students, according to FFA Advisor and Teacher Jonathan Holden.

“We have a very active group of students who love to participate in events. It’s also great to see a large group of younger members who are interested in learning all they can,” Holden said.

Dresden FFA President and DHS Senior Adrianne Todd said that preparing freshmen and watching them succeed is one of her favorite parts of participating in FFA.

“One of the biggest areas of focus for our club is working with our underclassmen to ensure that they are learning all they can and have the most opportunities to apply the skills they’ve learned. Now that I’m a senior, I look at our freshmen and sophomores and see so much growth. It makes me proud for them and proud of our club,” acknowledged Todd.

Todd is looking forward to graduation, and she said that her involvement in Dresden’s FFA Program has helped prepare her for what’s coming next. She said that their club truly embodies the FFA motto of Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, and Living to Serve.

“What’s great about Dresden is all of the opportunities for hands-on learning. We learn in the classroom, ag shop, the greenhouse, and on our county’s own Livestock Farm. You won’t find those opportunities everywhere,” she said.

She added, “We do love the chance to showcase our skills in competitions, conventions, and activities through the club, but giving back to our community is important to our club. We work to build connections with people in our community and perform service projects that are meaningful to us. It’s a special organization to say you are a part of and I’ve learned a lot.”

Advisor Holden believes that preparing students through education is the passport to the future.

“It’s all for the kids. The reason I teach is not for fortune or fame. We prepare these students in unique ways through real world hands-on activities, competitions, foundational skills, applied learning, and helping them gain connections in the field of Agriculture. Preparing them to go do great things with a great set of skills is what it’s all about,” Holden said.

Dresden FFA students are looking forward to warmer weather as they work in the ag shop, greenhouse, and on the Weakley County Livestock Production Farm. The group is also scheduled to participate in various competitions, leadership camp, and State Convention. Their annual FFA Plant Sale will be held April 15th at Dresden High’s greenhouse.

Lindsey Parham, Director of Career and Technical Education, attributes the continued success of the program to the continual efforts and hard work of the club’s membership.

“Dresden has traditionally been a strong agricultural program in our county, and it’s through the hard work of students and their advisor that the club is very strong,” Parham shared. “It is so exciting to see numerous students earning recognition in their areas of proficiency and success in career and leadership development events.”

For more about Weakley County Schools, visit weakleycountyschools.com.