Age: 17
Parents: Brian and Alicson Reding
Hometown: Cedarville, Ark.
FFA Chapter: Cedarville FFA
Advisor: Darren Busch
Personal Life: “I really enjoy agriculture and want to go to farrier school in Oklahoma when I graduate. Last summer, I had an informal internship with John Wiley and discovered I loved shoeing horses. My great-grandparents, Dale and Dixie, had cattle and horses though at the time my favorite part of being there was fishing for catfish and bass in their pond and having a family fish fry. Driving around on a dune buggy was fun too. At the time, I didn’t know horses were going to be my future. We live on a hobby farm with chickens and turkeys as well as beehives whose honey we sell. The poultry used to hang around our front door and made a mess so now they live together in a pen.”
FFA Experiences: “FFA is a big part of my life. My first year I won the Star Greenhand Award and have served as both sentinel and treasurer so far. I really like being sentinel but needed to have another office to be eligible for a higher degree. FFA offers opportunities for leadership. You get to interact with people and new ways and gain experience handling problems. I participated in both extemporaneous and prepared speeches but especially enjoyed judging livestock. I learned about sheep, goats cattle and pigs and what qualities in each species that bring the best market prices. I also competed in Beef Quiz Bowl. It was fun, and I got a day off of school in order to compete. Another good part of FFA is making new friends. I met Josh Jetton my first year at the Arkansas Greenhand conference, and we have been friends ever since.”
Who has served as an inspiration to you?
“Believe it or not, that person is John Wayne. He loved playing football and got hurt so he couldn’t play anymore. That led to him becoming an actor making many people happy as they watched his terrific movies. That’s pretty amazing.”
What advice do you have for a youngster not wanting to get into 4-H?
“If a young kid is hesitant about getting involved in 4-H, you have to get down to his level instead of talking about stuff like leadership. I would explain how much fun animals are and that they’re going to get to go really interesting places other kids will never see.”
