Waseca FFA sends two teams to state

The Waseca FFA Livestock and Dairy Evaluation Teams earned silver rankings during competition at the FFA organization’s statewide convention held April 20 and 21 at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The two-person team of Macy A. and Brooklyn F. was named the Best Informed Greenhand Team. Greenhands, explains Waseca FFA Advisor Robin Tidd, are first-year members in FFA, typically still of middle school age.

 

According to Tidd, FFA competitions are divided between Leadership Development Events (LDEs) and Career Development Events (CDEs). She explains LDEs focus on helping individuals develop skills–for example, public speaking or parliamentary procedure–which may be useful in any career field individuals go on to pursue. CDEs build skills that are specific to agricultural careers.

 

While 10 students attended the state convention, the Waseca FFA has about 30 student membets who spend the year attending monthly chapter meetings, helping with community events, and competing in CDE and LDE contests.

 

Students begin signing up for teams in September and attended their first competition in October and took part in two contest days each month through April. Some students, Tidd said, will concentrate on a single topic or category while others diversify in the hope of making it to high-level competition in more than one category. At least this year, one of Waseca’s teams had qualified for state already in October.

 

Across the year, Waseca had teams in a wide array of categories, including Horse Evaluation- Varsity (2 students); Livestock Evaluation- Varsity (4 students) and JV (5 students); Dairy Evaluation- Varsity (4 students); Soils- Varsity (4 students); Employment Skills (2 individuals); Milk Quality- Varsity (4 students) and JV (3 students); and Best Informed Greenhand (3 students).

 

Along with competing, one state-level participant applied for and was accepted to be part of the FFA State Band, which provided music at events during the convention.