The Future Farmers of America program at Forsyth High School won best team at the 2021 FFA National Forestry competition in Indianapolis last week.
Senior FFA officer Emmalea Cook also took home the top prize for individuals.
“I wasn’t not raised on a farm,” explained Cook. “I’m just kind of in a small city, so I’ve learned a lot about the processes and what goes into everyday life essentially.”
Her fellow national championship teammates are Forsyth High School Seniors Zac Jennings, Landry Stuart, and Kera Mingus. Their agriculture professor, Clint Gailey, praised his students for their hard work and accomplishments.
“That’s been our secret weapon at Forsyth. We got great kids, and we have them every year,” said Gailey. “We’ve been successful for the last several years. We’ve never hit that pinnacle like they did this year and that’s kudos to them.”
A school representing Missouri has only won this competition three times in its history, with Forsyth now holding two of those spots.
“We had to make it through districts and we had to win state, and then we had to go to nationals,” said Landry Stuart. “I’m super proud of this team and we really worked well together.”
A feature on the Forsyth win can be seen on the Ozarks First Website.
(Story by Jacob Blount and Christina Randall, Ozarks First)
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