Green Horizons

Back in April of this year, the four-member Columbia FFA team of Noble Carpenter, Brandon Gerardy, Courtney Johnson and John Marshall took first-place at the Missouri FFA state forestry contest. For an encore, they traveled to Indianapolis in October and won the national competition!

"They started practicing three times a week in January for a minimum of two hours at a time," agriculture teacher and coach Larry Henneke said.

The team had to develop a variety of forestry management skills that could be tested, such as identifying different trees, measuring timber, orienteering with a compass, pacing distances, reading maps and identifying insects and tree diseases.

Noble Carpenter, left, and Brandon Gerardy spent the early fall months preparing for the National FFA Forestry competition.

"We went in with the feeling that we had a really good chance," team member Courtney Johnson said.

But preparing for nationals was no easy task, especially after team member Noble Carpenter relocated to attend College of the Ozarks, making it difficult to schedule practices.

The team showed its dedication, though, as the remaining members continued practices twice a week and Henneke sent Noble tests and information that allowed him to practice on his own. They even gave up time on their weekends to practice group activities when Noble was in town.

Their hard work paid off. Aside from being named national champs, Henneke said, there are numerous benefits for students on the forestry team, such as acquiring "on-the-feet kind of skills."

For Courtney, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, joining the team became a life-changing experience. She admitted she had no previous experience with forestry, although she’s always enjoyed nature and spending time outside. As she and the team practiced for numerous competitions, it soon became a passion for her, and now she intends to major in forest management in college.

"Before this I wanted to be a marine biologist, and I was looking at colleges down in Florida," Courtney said. "Now that’s completely changed."

Each of the students on the winning team received a $1,000 college scholarship from FFA. Both Courtney and Brandon have applied and have been accepted to the forestry program at the University of Missouri.