4 • The Beacon February 16 , 2023
Ridgewood ’ s FFA students working on new farm
By Josie Sellers
Ridgewood High School students have been working hard to get the agriculture department ’ s new farm ready for projects and lessons .
“ We want it to be self-sufficient and be able to teach the kids at the same time ,” Logan Pyers from the school ’ s agricultural education department said . He and Sue Davis are the program instructors and FFA advisors . “ We had no farm before this .”
The farm is located next to the school district ’ s bus garage on state Route 751 . They plan to add a greenhouse to the buildings that are already there and get more animals . Right now they have four steers and plan to order some chickens and eventually raise pigs .
“ Our meat room is close to being done ,” Pyers said . “ We want another building for a shop to work on equipment , get a hog barn and chicken run . We are slowly getting there .”
The farm class , which is for juniors and seniors , meets at the property .
“ They feed the steers , have been learning to work safely around them and they are properly fenced in ,” Pyers said . “ The steers will have an appointment with a butcher , and then we will sell the meat and put the money back into this place . We might butcher a hog or two ourselves , but that will just be for educational purposes .”
Ridgewood junior Hayden Kilchenman likes everything about going to the farm .
“ I like that I ’ m not sitting in a classroom and that I got to learn how to drive a tractor ,” he said . “ I love FFA and the teachers . They brought me in when I was in eighth grade , and I ’ ve stayed since .”
Kilchenman works at Gerber Feed and said being involved in FFA has made him want to do his job even more .
“ I like knowing where the feed comes from , learning what it does and the feeds there are for different animals ,” he said .
Kilchenman is the student advisor for Ridgewood FFA . Senior Jessica Thompson is the parliamentarian for the group .
“ I hate sitting in a classroom ,” she said . “ I like that we get to come be hands-on with the animals . I also learned how to drive a tractor and do a waterline .”
Thompson ’ s siblings were in FFA , and her mom grew up on a big farm . She hopes to pursue a degree in ag business .
Like Thompson and Kilchenman , junior Hunter Maple also
“
I hate sitting in a classroom . I like that we get to come be hands-on with the animals . I also learned how to drive a tractor and do a waterline .”
Jessica Thompson
enjoys getting out of the classroom and working on the farm .
National FFA Week is celebrated across the country Feb . 18-25 this year . Ridgewood will hold its own celebrations in the spring , but River View High School and the Coshocton County Career Center FFA chapters will celebrate during the national week .
Josie Sellers Four steer currently live at the Ridgewood Agriculture Department farm . Plans are being made to add chickens and pigs .
Josie Sellers
Ridgewood High School senior Jessica Thompson gets some hay ready for the steer .