Submitted by: Emmy Fuller & Brelynn Randall – Louisa-Muscatine FFA Reporters
The Louisa-Muscatine FFA Nursery-Landscape team of Gage Connor, Maisy Howell, Jayden Seefeldt, and Jeremy Neiswonger, and the Forestry team consisting of Addison Randall, Bryar Runnells, Morgan Nowak, and Wylie Jacobs competed at the 2019 National FFA Convention, held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Both teams received a silver rating, with Nursery-Landscape placing 18th and Forestry placing 24th, overall.
The Nursery-Landscape Career Development Event gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to identify and maintain landscape plants, pests, diseases, weeds, and equipment, evaluate and estimate a landscape design, propagate plants, and provide customer service in a garden center setting. The Nursery-Landscape team competed at both local and state levels and received the honor to represent Iowa on the national level by winning the Iowa FFA state Nursery-Landscape contest.
The Forestry Career Development Event had students demonstrate their ability to diagnose forest
disorders, identify trees, recommend management practices, and evaluate trees for board foot volume, diameter, and merchantable height. They also completed a team presentation about a national forestry issue. The forestry team also competed on the local and state level earning the chance to represent Iowa by winning the Iowa Envirothon contest.
In preparation for their national contests, both teams visited with the Southern Illinois University’s Forestry Department in Carbondale, IL. They were also able to visit Shawnee National Forest and Giant City State Park, in Illinois, to work on tree identification, timber measurements and management plans, tree measurements, and team events. The teams toured Amos Hill Veneers in Edinburgh, IN where they learned about veneer production and tree selection and grading. They made one more stop at the Brehob Nursery in Indianapolis, IN, to work on plant identification before finally competing at the 2019 National FFA Convention held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Indiana Convention Center. Congratulations to the team members on their outstanding accomplishments.
