Pinckneyville FFA

The Pinckneyville FFA officers would like to invite you to the annual banquet on Thursday May 14th at 6pm in the Auxiliary gym at PCHS.

FFA Members, parents, family friends, supporters and guests are all welcome. There will be desserts to enjoy.

Banquet will consist of awards for highest achieving members, greenhand and chapter degrees, scholarships, and the installation of the new FFA officers.

Last night Pinckneyville hosted the section 24 banquet where top teams and individuals were recognized. We are honored to have so many successful teams and individuals from this year. From CDE and LDE winners, to State degree and American degree recipients, Pinckneyville had a very successful year.

Mackenna Wesseln also retired as the section 24 President while Erin Bender was elected to the section team again as the section treasurer.

Congrats to all of our students who were honored last night!

Don’t let the possibility of some storms scare you away tonight. We are open in the greenhouse until 6pm! (Monday)

Please stop by and check out the amazing selection we have left!

Dont forget! We open up tomorrow (Friday April 24th) at 1pm!

Prices start at just $4!
Cash, Checks, and Cards are accepted.

All plants are grown and cared for by PCHS Horticulture Students.

Your purchase supports agriculture education at Pinckneyville Community High School

Hope to see you there!

MACKENNA WESSELN SELECTED AS A 2026 ILLINOIS FFA OFFICER CANDIDATE

Mackenna Wesseln was selected as a 2026 candidate for the 2026 - 2027 Illinois FFA Major State Officer Team. Mackenna is a member of the Pinckneyville FFA Chapter of the Illinois Association FFA. Mackenna is the Daughter of John and Tabatha Wesseln from Pinckneyville. Austin McAllister is the agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor at Pinckneyville Community High School.

Mackenna was selected by a committee of agriculture industry friends, media and collegiate leaders, past state FFA officers and current FFA members. The candidates completed a rigorous series of practicums, including a virtual round consisting of a writing exercise, a prepared speech, and a test on Illinois agricultural education and FFA, as well as an in-person round held at Lincoln Land Community College on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The in-person round included a general interview, an impromptu scenario, a facilitation exercise, and a group activity.

Earning this distinction of being named one of the ten candidates now makes Mackenna eligible to be elected one of the six Illinois FFA Major State Officer positions of President, Vice-President, Reporter, Secretary, Treasurer, or Sentinel at the 98th Annual Illinois FFA State Convention on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield, IL beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Pinckneyville FFA Members have had a very busy and successful past week.

On Tuesday, four members competed in three contests. We are proud to report that in we had great success that night!

Ag business - 2nd place team. Mackenna Wesseln - 2nd place Individual. Chris Galbraith - 5th place individual.

Horticulture - 3rd place team. Mackenna Wesseln 6th place individual. Chris Galbraith 8th place individual.

Food Science - 1st place team. Gabby Ellet - 2nd place individual. Alexis Hornbostel - 8th place individual. Mackenna Wesseln 9th place individual.

On Wednesday, 12 members traveled to Murray State to compete in events in their field day. At field day, members competed in livestock judging, vet science, ag mechanics, tool id, and seed id. The vet science team placed 12th, Erin Bender placed 5th in seed id, Darrin Sowder placed 12th in tool id.

On Friday, 8 students attended the livestock and horticulture judging contest at SIUC.

Mark your calendars! Friday, April 24th, will be the opening of the greenhouse!

Prices start at just $4!
Cash, Checks, and Cards are accepted.

All plants are grown and cared for by PCHS Horticulture Students.

Your purchase supports agriculture education at Pinckneyville Community High School

Hope to see you there!

Last night two senior members attended the Section 24 Public Speaking event at Carbondale High School.

Gabby Ellet participated in extemporaneous public speaking, while Mackenna Wesseln participated in Prepared Public Speaking.

Mackenna won her area, and will be moving on to the district contest in a couple weeks! Congrats and best of luck to Mackenna as she prepares for districts!

Todays Drive your tractor to school day was one for the books!

16 students drove their tractors to school today, and it was a huge success! Thank you to all students who participated today!

Special thanks go out to the Perry County Young Leaders for the Donuts and drinks this morning, Perry County Sheriffs Departments for their continued support!

Be sure to check out all the photos below, and go check out the annual tractor drive video on youtube!

https://youtu.be/Rssf82R_h_M

Tomorrow, Tuesday March 31st is our Annual Drive Your Tractor To School Day.

Please be on the lookout for equipment on the roads Tuesday morning between 6 and 8am, as well as after 2pm. Students will be coming from all across the district including Tamaroa, Coulterville, Cutler, as well as here in town.

Drive your tractor to school day is more than just a fun day to show off your equipment. It is a day to showcase the skills and safety used by these young agriculturalists. It's a day that brings awareness to farmers being on the roads. It's a great day to teach equipment safety to those who did not grow up on a farm.

Many students look forward to "tractor day" all year long. Please help us stay safe so we can continue to do this day each year.

If you come up on a tractor driver Tuesday morning please be courteous and respectful of the driver, follow at a safe distance, and if you must pass, please do so in a safe manner.

Don't be afraid to give the driver a wave or a thumbs up!

The plants have been gossiping, and they are saying that a plant sale is coming soon in Mid-April! This year’s sale will be un-be-leaf-ably good.

Rumor has it there will be new and exciting plants this year including Alyssum, Marigolds, Canna, Snapdragons, and more!

You can expect to also find many fan favorites such as Vinca, Impatiens, Geraniums, Lantana, Wandering Jew, and Succulents galore!

While the weather might be unpredictable right now, one thing that is predicable is that our greenhouse sale will make you wet your plants with a smile on your face.

Whether you have a green thumb or simply enjoy a good plant pun, we invite you to stay tuned for more details, as shortly after Easter we will post our opening dates!