Woodland’s Josie Doshier – FFA Spotlight Presented by Oklahoma AgCredit

By Derrick Smith

When she was growing up, Josie Raye Doshier was surrounded by agriculture and animals. So when she became old enough, joining the Future Farmers of America program was a no brainer.

“I have been raised in an agricultural based family,” Doshier stated. “I’ve been involved in youth rodeo, working cattle, driving tractor, cow palpation, and my favorite of all is showing livestock.  When I was five, I got to show my cousin’s pig and I won the Pee Wee Showmanship. I was so proud and wanted to have my own. When I was in fifth grade my dad bought a pig from a Heimer Hampshires online sale; we named him Jack.  I won local and county. That is when showing became my passion. When I entered eighth grade, joining FFA wasn’t even a question, it was who I was.”

Josie, a sophomore at Woodland High School, enjoys all aspects of FFA.

“I put all my time into showing livestock, livestock judging, quiz bowl, and skillathon,” she said. “It’s amazing to see a project that you raised and spent hours working with become such an outstanding project. When I travel to competitions, I get to see and meet so many different people that have made a huge impact on the agricultural world. I love getting to meet new people, everybody in FFA comes from such a variety of backgrounds but in all reality we all have one huge thing in common and that’s the love of being honored with the blue and gold jacket.”

The lessons that she has learned in FFA are not just about agriculture. Doshier has also learned things that will stick with her throughout her life.

“I have learned that no matter how hard something seems you have got to keep pushing through because in the end you will have bettered yourself. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing something you have spent months preparing for and practicing for all come into place and work out exactly how you wanted it to.

There is not a shortage of awards and honors that Josie has won during her time in the program. She placed fourth in Intermediate OYE Showmanship in 2018 and placed fifth in 2019. She was the 2019 Oklahoma Junior Swine Association Intermediate Skillathon Champion. Josie also placed third in 2019 OKJSA Overall Showman. Along with those, she won 2019 OKJSA Intermediate Overall High Point Winner, 2018 Tahlequah OKJSA Grand Champion Crossbred Gilt, 2018 Tahlequah OKJSA Reserve Champion Purebred Gilt,  2019 Stillwater OKJSA Grand Champion Crossbred Barrow, 2019 Kellyville OKJSA Champion Duroc, The Shootout Grand Champion at Fayetteville.

And if that was not enough, Doshier was Champion Showman at local and county in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

The biggest moment in her FFA career came last year at a show in Tahlequah.

“My favorite moment was when I won my very first jackpot show last year at the Tahlequah OKJSA show. I remember thinking I’ve finally won something really big, all my hard work was paying off and the best part was that I raised that pig myself. I owned and showed her mother the year before, we kept her to breed and I helped choose the sire. I even had to pull that pig because it was her mother’s first time farrowing.”