Trenton FFA Brings Home Awards From State Convention

The Missouri FFA Association named Trenton FFA as the Top Chapter in the state. The chapter placed first out of 351 chapters, while one of its members was named the State Star Farmer and two teams placed in competition.

The National Chapter Award Program is designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization. These chapters improve chapter operations using the National Quality Chapter Standards and a Program of Activities that emphasize growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. Chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership. Gold Emblem Top Chapter Awards are sponsored by FCS Financial.
The Trenton FFA growing leaders activities included hillbilly hoedown where members displayed teamwork and leadership skills through a fun, fast-paced outdoor super-farmer-style contest. After Covid-19 shut down chapter barnwarming, the chapter found different ways to allow members to complete challenges and grow their leadership abilities.
Chapter activities in the strengthening agriculture category included Thank-a-Farmer. This activity sponsored by local agribusinesses and featured in the Trenton Republican-Times allowed members to write eight weekly features leading up to National FFA Week. The articles focussed on agricultural facts and statistics, and showcased local agriculture.
Building communities activities included creating a pollination station, a habitat for over 125 plants of over 35 species to thrive outside the agriculture building. The Conservation of Natural Resources class was able to turn the landscaping area into a habitat for pollinators for years to come.
The Trenton FFA Chapter advisors are Kabel Oaks and Sadie Roy.
The top chapters compete for the National FFA Chapter Award. Winners will be announced this fall at the 94th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis.
The Missouri FFA Association recognized Kidridge Griffin of the Trenton FFA Chapter as the State Star Farmer at the 93rd Missouri FFA Convention. He is the son of Ethan and Amanda Griffin of Trenton.
The State Star Farmer is chosen based upon outstanding production agriculture in the student’s supervised agricultural experience program and active participation in FFA.
MFA, Inc., Columbia, sponsors the State Star Farmer Award.
Griffin’s SAE consists of multiple ownership enterprises including his cow-calf operation. He started with an eight-cow operation, and has expanded to 70 cows and two breeding bulls. Griffin typically backgrounds his calves to 700 lb. and markets them through sale barns in northern Missouri and southern Iowa. In addition, this past year, Griffin rented 104 acres for soybeans. He markets around 20 acres of corn locally and through Cargill, Kansas City. For his equine science SAE, Griffin maintains two horses and competes in team roping.
Griffin served as chapter junior treasurer and sentinel, and currently serves as chapter president. He competed at state in conduct of chapter meetings, parliamentary procedure and grasslands evaluation career development events. The parliamentary procedure CDE team placed sixth. He also was top-six at state in the Missouri Quarter Horse Fall Speaking Contest. Griffin received the area diversified agriculture production proficiency award and was named Chapter Star Greenhand.
In addition to FFA, Griffin has been on the honor roll, received the 95310 honor and served as a cadet teacher. Outside of school, Griffin is a member of the Oak Leaf Achievers 4-H Club and served as club president. He is also a member of the US Team Roping Championship.
After graduating high school, Griffin’s plans include attending North Central Missouri College in Trenton, where he plans to study agriculture and natural resources, crop production and livestock management. Griffin said his plans are to return to his family farm, while expanding his own cattle and row-crop operation.
In other results, the Trenton FFA Chapter placed third in the meats evaluation and technology career development event at the convention. There were 24 teams in the competition.
The team members include Kaci Persell, Gracyn Rongey, Colton Roy and Hannah Bowe. Individually, Persell placed fifth, Rongey placed tenth, Roy placed 11th and Bowe placed 32nd out of 88 participants.
Participants in the event are required to complete comprehensive exams in meat selection, storage, cooking, nutrition and safety. They also are asked to perform activities involving mathematical formulas for making cost-efficient meat products. Competitors identify cuts of meat by species, retail trade name and prime cut identification.
Sponsored by University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, CDEs prepare student members for career success, engage student learning and make a real connection to lifetime goals.
In addition, the Trenton FFA Chapter placed sixth in the FFA conduct of chapter meetings leadership development event at the convention.
Trenton team members are Emma Roberts, Cade Claycomb, Kenzy Dolan, Kinze Hanson, Kate Clark, Kimberly Otto and Jena Harris. Trenton advisors are Kabel Oaks and Sadie Roy.
Participating teams present opening and closing ceremonies and demonstrate meeting procedure. Individual team members also take a written exam. Grand River Technical School sponsors this event and introduces ninth graders to parliamentary procedure.
The Missouri FFA has 25,662 members representing 351 chapters. The national organization has more than 760,000 members representing 8,739 chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.