Authentic Roots

By: Laura Wood, Vinita, Oklahoma

For Ridge Hughbanks, agriculture is both a passion and a way of life. Hughbanks, 2018-19 National FFA Central Region Vice President and an Oklahoma State University agribusiness junior, grew up as a fifth-generation agriculturist near Alva, Oklahoma.

“I learned about life from a 4430 John Deere tractor and a 12-foot disk,” he said.

His grandparents were the reason he chose to further invest time in his agricultural education, he said.

“I could not think of a better way and place to grow up because I had both sets of grandparents living very close to me,” Hughbanks said. “Not only that, but my parents understood the value of hard work and a hard-earned dollar.”

OSU junior Ridge Hughbanks credits his success with National FFA to his community and agricultural roots.

Photo by Laura Wood.

Grandfathers, Galen Hughbanks and Glen Piper, were invested in Hughbanks’ life in numerous capacities, he said.

“Most of my agricultural experience came from the Hughbanks side,” he said. “But then on the Piper side, I have some incredible memories, like riding in the tractor and learning how to drive before my feet could reach the pedals.”

Hughbanks said his Grandpa Hughbanks taught him how to drive a manual transmission in his old Chevy Scottsdale pickup when he turned 13 years old.

In high school, Hughbanks enrolled in agricultural education classes and joined FFA. Searching for his place within the organization was a challenge, he said.

Then, Courtney Mapes, a former Alva FFA officer, encouraged Hughbanks to audition for the state FFA chorus, and he found his first FFA niche, he said.

“The chorus was a unique part of the FFA that allowed me to attend state and national conventions,” Hughbanks said. “The experiences opened the door for all the organization had to offer.”

Another of the events impacting Hughbanks’ FFA career occurred when he was a high school junior and serving as Alva FFA president.

Agricultural education instructor Sierra Walker joined veteran instructor Randy Nation to advise the Alva FFA Chapter in 2014, changing the chapter dynamics and increasing member involvement, Hughbanks said.

“Ridge wanted to make his home chapter better,” Walker said. “He began getting involved with his fellow officers and chapter members to promote overall participation.”

By Hughbanks’ senior year, the chapter was earning state and national chapter awards.

“We wanted to create a foundation that would involve more students into the program,” Hughbanks said. “We just started rolling with it. Our membership nearly doubled within a year and a half.”

Although Hughbanks had some challenges along the way, he wanted to earn his State FFA Degree and run for a state officer position, Walker said.

The night before state officer applications were due, Grant Wilber, a member of the Cherokee, Oklahoma, FFA chapter, called Hughbanks. Wilber encouraged Hughbanks to pursue a state FFA officer position, even though Wilbur was withdrawing his own application from the candidate pool, Hughbanks said.

“He told me, ‘Ridge, I think you are the guy to do it. You need to run for northwest district vice president,’” Hughbanks said. “I have never forgotten that. Afterward, it became something so much bigger than just me running for state office. I ran for both of us.”

Hughbanks said the 2016 Oklahoma FFA Convention was one he would never forget as he was elected as northwest district vice president.

“I did not even hear my name called,” Hughbanks said. “I heard that ‘A’ of Alva, Oklahoma, announced, and I just about passed out.”

Reflecting on his journey, Hughbanks said he recalled the overwhelming feeling when everything started to unfold.

“I still get chills thinking about it,” he said. “There is no way to recreate the feeling of getting elected that first time.

“The experience was so new, and truth be told, I had no idea what would happen next,” he added.

Hughbanks said his first term as a state officer showed him how exceptional Oklahoma FFA and its members are.

“I knew northwest Oklahoma,” he said. “I knew I loved agriculture and wanted to serve to the best of my ability, but I found a greater purpose in a diverse organization.

“My appreciation for Oklahoma FFA grew immensely from what I understood at the beginning of my officer experience,” he said.

Hughbanks cares deeply for people in FFA and those involved in the agricultural industry, said Adrienne Blakey, 2016-17 Oklahoma FFA Reporter and a plant and soil science and agricultural communications junior.

“That first state officer year was so defining for him, and he flourished as a leader and speaker,” Blakey said. “He understood agriculture and policy, but during his presidency in 2017-18, he really grew to appreciate the structure and the family of FFA.”

Hughbanks said he was uncertain about national FFA officer candidacy.

“The people who had invested in me throughout my FFA experience gave me the confidence to pursue a national officer position,” he said.

Hughbanks was more than talented enough for the position, Walker said.

“I remember telling him that he was going to go all the way,” Walker said. “I knew he could be a national FFA officer if that is what he put his mind to and committed to.”

Hughbanks was easy to look to as an example when it came to leading FFA members, said Garrett Saunders, 2016-17 southwest district vice president and agricultural education junior.

“He was determined from the beginning to be the same Ridge nationally as he was from Northwest Oklahoma,” Saunders said. “Honestly, he is the kind of guy you hear about in country songs. He is just so authentic.”

Kelly Barnes, 2003-04 Oklahoma FFA President, who served as one of Hughbanks’ personal development mentors, said he could always count on Hughbanks to be real.

“He is the same guy in whatever scenario you put him in,” Barnes said. “He serves as a terrific ambassador for FFA and the agricultural industry.”

Hughbanks is everything anyone could ask for as a leader and friend and then some, Barnes said, and he has a fundamental desire for and appreciation of community.

“Too often, there are people who are ashamed to be from a small town or to be from somewhere that is not on a map, that is not super noteworthy,” Hughbanks said. “The support that I had from my community was absolutely second to none. Anything that I had ambitions to do and was willing to put the work in for, I had people who were behind me to support me.”

Hughbanks’ community played a major part in shaping him, Blakey said.

“He loves his hometown and where he comes from,” she said. “So much so, he even gets the Alva newspaper delivered to him in Stillwater.”

The small town of Alva is so much a part of who he is and what he is thankful for, she said.

“I have every intention of ending up right back there,” Hughbanks said. “I want to raise a family there. I want to use my roots there to continue to build off of what I have been given.”

Hughbanks attributes who he is and the lessons he learned early on to growing up around individuals who make their living in agriculture, he said.

“I love where I come from because of the people, because of the experiences and because of the support,” he said.

Hughbanks’ community made his FFA journey possible and influenced his passion for giving back, he said.

“When you serve people, you enjoy it and you do it with other passionate individuals, you better stick to that as long as you can,” Hughbanks said. “We will always have things we enjoy, but when we serve a bigger purpose while enjoying them, that’s pretty special.”

From chapter to state to national FFA office, Ridge Hughbanks has continued to serve in a blue corduroy jacket.

Photo by Laura Wood.