Growing a Future in Horticulture

North Oconee FFA alumnus John Reid Foell always had a passion for agriculture, growing up spending time around his grandparents’ Georgia farm, but his passion for horticulture came through FFA — and an encouraging neighbor. 

Foell joined FFA in middle school and initially participated in the Environmental and Natural Resources Career Development Event (CDE) and the Forestry and Wildlife CDE. For years, he thought his career path would include becoming a forester and wildlife biologist.

“I always enjoyed plants and ecology,” he says. “When I got to high school, I took all seven agriculture classes. One was landscape architecture and another was general horticulture.”

Cultivating a Career

Those classes, and his school’s work-based learning program, cultivated his interest in a horticulture career. During his junior year of high school, Foell began working for his neighbor, Michael Dirr, a world-renowned horticulturalist and University of Georgia professor emeritus. 

Dirr introduced Foell to ornamental horticulture and plant breeding, opening a new path for him, including competing in the Nursery/Landscape CDE his senior year of high school. The team earned first place in the state senior division and finished among the top 10 teams at the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo in 2023.

“Working with Dirr and completing my work-based learning and Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) with him really pushed toward what I want to do for a career,” Foell says. “I got to see all aspects of the business, from helping in his three-acre garden to working in the plant nursery and learning about plant breeding selections.” 

The SAE also helped him earn his American FFA Degree at the 98th National FFA Convention.

Building a Nursery Business

After high school, Foell’s SAE and growing passion for horticulture took him to Europe alongside Dirr. They traveled throughout England and France, visiting gardens and nurseries and learning about each country’s horticulture practices.

Today, Foell is a junior at the University of Georgia studying agribusiness with plans to eventually open his own nursery. Because of his connections with Dirr and first-hand learning opportunities through work-based learning and FFA events, Foell is focusing on earning a business degree to help him set himself up for success in creating his own business.

“I really like the plant breeding, especially woody ornamentals, because of the genetic variation,” he says. “FFA really helped me find what I’m passionate about. It took getting out of my comfort zone of wildlife and forestry, but I’m so glad I did.”