Growing More Than Plants: Pleasant Hill FFA Reaches New Heights
By Christy Snow
Contributing Writer
For students in the FFA chapter at Pleasant Hill High School, this year has been about much more than competitions and blue jackets. It has been about growth – in opportunity, in ambition, and quite literally, in the greenhouse.
A major expansion to the school’s greenhouse has transformed the agriculture program and opened doors that students and teachers say once felt out of reach. The greenhouse recently doubled in size, allowing the chapter to expand hands-on science opportunities and competitive training programs in ways they had never experienced before.
“We are able to do a lot more ag science with our improved equipment,” said Tyler Burgin, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.
Among the newest additions is a cold stratification lab, giving students opportunities to study seed germination and plant science at a much deeper level. The upgraded facilities have already inspired student-led research projects, including one by Maddux Umscheid, who launched a pecan tree lab focused on genetic modification and selective breeding.
“He is trying to get the largest, best-tasting pecans,” Burgin said.
The expanded greenhouse has also allowed students to successfully grow crops that previously struggled in the program – including lavender, something Burgin said had never thrived before the upgrades.
Beyond experimentation, the improvements have dramatically elevated Pleasant Hill’s competition teams.
Before the greenhouse expansion, Burgin said the chapter lacked a large agronomy identification collection, putting the agronomy team at a disadvantage during contests. Now, the team ranks among the top five in the state.
“It’s made our kids more competitive. It’s given them more educational opportunities,” Burgin said.
Students spend nearly three hours a day working in the greenhouse, where the improved climate-control system creates a more productive learning environment year-round.
Those improvements helped lead Pleasant Hill to a historic milestone this year: its first-ever national competition team.
The Nursery Landscape team captured the state championship for the first time in school history before placing sixth nationally. Meanwhile, the Agronomy team turned in one of the best seasons in program history, winning two of five competitions, placing in the top three at the others and finishing 3rd at state competition.
The Ag Mechanics and Nursery Landscape teams also consistently finished among the top five at every contest they entered and the Ag Mechanics team took 5th at state competition.
“We are pushing competition a lot,” Burgin said.
FFA competition reach students who may not otherwise get involved during high school.
“FFA is a great way for kids that are not athletes to get involved and fuel their competitive fire,” he said.
Burgin also believes FFA provides opportunities for students who may struggle to find success elsewhere.
“Sometimes FFA is the only place for these types of kids to excel,” he said.
AJ Wingard, agriculture teacher and FFA leader said the organization has a unique ability to welcome students who may struggle to fit into more mainstream activities.
“We are able to take kids who the mainstream refers to as ‘trouble’ and they fit in and find something they love doing in FFA,” she said.
According to Wingard, acceptance is one of the organization’s defining qualities.
“You don’t have to look a certain way or act a certain way. We have a variety of different types of kids,” she said.
Wingard said one of her favorite parts of teaching is watching students with different backgrounds and skill sets succeed together.
“I love that in my classes I see all kinds of kids with all kinds of abilities and they all find a place to be successful,” she said.
One of the chapter’s most involved students, Davin Gilsdorf, said the organization has completely changed who he is.
“The basement is the best place in the district to be,” Gilsdorf said, referring to the agriculture classrooms housed in the lower level of the high school.
He said FFA helped shape him both personally and professionally.
“The person I was in middle school to the person I am now is a whole different ballgame,” Gilsdorf said.
He credits the organization for helping him develop confidence in public speaking, leadership and career preparation.
Gilsdorf also spoke highly of the support he has received from Burgin and Wingard.
“Burgin and AJ are like a second set of parents for me. They’ve done a lot for me,” he said.
Gilsdorf was part of the Nursery Landscape team that advanced to nationals, an experience he described as unforgettable.
“Going to Nationals was the best experience,” Gilsdorf said. “We were really rocking it. It was a good time.”
Through FFA, he said he has met students from all over the country, including friends in California and Oklahoma.
He said one of the strengths of FFA is the wide variety of opportunities available to students. Also stating that if you get involved in FFA, you will find something you enjoy. Wingard
Wingard shared that sentiment, stating, “Whatever you put into FFA, you’re going to get double out of it. There are just so many opportunities, even if you’re just looking for fun.”
Gilsdorf’s enthusiasm for the organization is unmistakable.
“It’s the best thing you will ever do, hands down,” he said. “Out of everything I’ve ever done in 17 years, it’s the best thing.”
FFA has deep roots in Pleasant Hill, dating back to the 1936-37 school year. Wingard said FFA has long been a proud tradition in Pleasant Hill.
“Kids are just excited about it,” she said. “We’ve always been strong.”
She believes agriculture classes offer students a different style of learning that allows them to thrive in hands-on, discussion-based environments rather than traditional worksheet-driven classrooms.
The travel opportunities, competitions and friendships are also a major draw for students. Student and FFA member, Dani Swadley, said the competitive and social aspects of FFA are what make the organization special.
“It’s nice being able to compete with other people and meet new people,” she said.
Career readiness has become another major focus for the organization, particularly in promoting trade schools and technical careers.
Each year, the organization hosts a career fair open to every junior and senior in the school. Representatives from technical schools, trade programs and industries attend.
“Getting insights about a technical school is super important,” Burgin said.
Wingard said many students involved in the agriculture department naturally gravitate toward trade schools and technical careers because of the hands-on experiences offered through FFA and agriculture classes.
Gilsdorf credited the career fair with helping him decide on his future career path as an agricultural mechanic.
Burgin also emphasized the growing shortage of agriculture teachers nationwide and said encouraging students to pursue careers in agricultural education is critical for the future of programs like Pleasant Hill’s.
“To keep doing all these things, we have to keep people going into this field,” he said.
Another growing area within the agriculture department is the Food Science Lab, which attracts a different type of student than traditional agriculture classes.
The lab focuses on food analysis, packaging, tenderizers, milling and processed foods, while encouraging students to experiment through hands-on scientific testing.
“Some things turn out really good and some things we take to the trash can,” Wingard said with a laugh.
Students begin by developing hypotheses before testing ingredients and production methods. This year, projects included gelatin caviar and boba experiments.
The chapter’s impact extends well beyond contests and projects. Students also participate in Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects, which encourage members to build real-world skills through entrepreneurship, research and work experience.
This year’s SAE projects ranged from growing shiitake mushrooms, selling fresh lamb meat at local farmers markets, smoking meats for custom orders and raising and selling animals.
“There are actually lots of kids selling at the farmer’s market,” Burgin said.
The FFA organization also puts a spotlight on community service. “The service component is a big part of FFA,” Wingard said. “We look for ways for our kids to give back.”
During Thanksgiving and Christmas, students donate and cook turkeys and pork loins for families in need throughout the district. Over spring break, members prepare food bags for students to take home, and during harvest season they deliver “Meals for Farmers” directly to workers in the fields.
For Pleasant Hill FFA, the greenhouse expansion may have started with new walls and equipment. But the real growth can be seen in the students themselves — in the skills they are building, the careers they are pursuing and the confidence they are gaining along the way.
Wingard said if she could offer one message to students considering agriculture classes or FFA involvement, it would be simple:
“Step out of your box. Take an ag class, explore what’s out there, come to an FFA event and see where it takes you.”