Woodworth Siblings Named National Winners
Mineral County FFA members Jessica and
William Woodworth, daughter and son of Farm
Bureau members Richard and Margaret Woodworth
of Burlington, West Virginia, were named National
Winners by the National FFA Organization in
the Stars Over America and Proficiency Award
programs during the 87th National FFA Convention in
Louisville, KY.
Jessica was named the 2014 American Star in
Agricultural Placement, the first FFA member from
West Virginia to ever win an American Star Award.
Star awards are given to the top FFA members in the
country with high quality Supervised Agricultural
Experience (SAE) programs who are receiving their
American FFA Degree, the highest award a member
can earn in the FFA. She helps her family produce
cattle and fresh produce at their farms, Flying W
and MJW.
“As I entered high school, I was gradually given
more responsibilities,” said Jessica. “Over the past
four years, I have been involved with marketing
strategies, customer satisfaction, training new
employees and managing the store.” As an animal
sciences and industry student at Kansas State
University, Woodworth plans to obtain a degree
in veterinarian medicine and focus her practice on
large animals.
William was named the National Proficiency
Winner in Agricultural Processing. Proficiency
Awards are given to students who excel with their
Supervised Agricultural Experiences as a part of the
Agricultural Education program. As a part of his
SAE, Will works as the assistant plant manager at
his family’s meat processing plant, Flying W Farms,
which processes cattle, hogs, lambs and goats. He
has been taught how to complete every aspect of the
operation, from programming the label computer to
fabricating the carcasses into retail cuts.
“I plan to become a partner at Flying W Farms
after completing my education and want to continue
to expand the family operation,” says Will, who is
currently majoring in Livestock Science at Ohio State
University Agricultural Technical Institute. With his
win in Food Science & Technology last year, Will is
the first West Virginia FFA member to win multiple
National Proficiency Awards.
The Mineral County FFA Chapter is advised
by Charlie Bennett, John Ritchie, Julie Sions, and
Carol Webb.
Pictured above, Will and Jessica celebrate with
their family in front of Freedom Hall in Louisville
after winning their National FFA Awards. Left
to right: Cecelia Wallace, grandmother of Will
and Jessica; Richard Woodworth, father; William
Woodworth, Jessica Woodworth, Margaret
Woodworth, mother; and brother Don Woodworth.
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 9