FFA News

By Jessica Millenbaugh, chapter reporter

During the week of Oct. 24 – 27 FFA members Jessica Lohr, Rebecca Enright, Tony Gwirtz, Jessica Millenbaugh, Cheyenne Johnson, Kendra Hudson, Taylor Lutz, Dalton Hoover, Kyle Hudson, Adam Widman, Alex Brause, Darren Thomas, chaperone Nate Rhodes, Andrew Betti and Advisor Krista Betti traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for the National FFA Convention.

The group first stopped and made a tour in Springfield, OH of Dole, we toured the plant and watched the process of lettuce from raw material to being boxed up to be shipped. The next stop was a tour of the Dull Wind and Conservation Farm. We learned about wind mills and solar panels and also the production of seed corn. The chapter also stopped at Tuttle farms and toured the apple orchard and got to taste different varieties of apples. One stop was at Ozark Fisheries, which is a koi and goldfish producer.… Continue reading

By Audrey Ivers, chapter reporter

The West Holmes FFA chapter traveled to National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 24-27. The 14 members who attended National Convention were: Liz Overholt, Matt Schelgel, Dustin Niehaus, Sam Krejci, Mandy Taylor, Clay Armstrong, Harlie Spurlock, Paige Miller, Shyann Kick, Beth Klien, Megan Miller, Justin Lorentz, Dylan Harsh, and Elise Neville. Additions to the members were: Chaperones and Graduates: Ms. Rosales, Mrs. Taggart, Jaime Chenevey, Aaron Clark, and Garrett O’Donnell.

On Wednesday, the chapter went on a tour of the State House and to the Air and Space Museum. At the State House, members had the opportunity to listen to a Representative speak, they also toured where the Senate and House of Representatives meet, and toured the State House. During the Tour of the Air and Space Museum, the chapter walked around and looked at the historical documents, the airplanes and had the chance to sit in airplanes and even sat in airplane simulator games.… Continue reading

By  Emily Daniel, chapter reporter

FFA Greenhand Camp is held each year for first-year FFA members to attend.  The camp is held at Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum in Carrollton, Ohio.  The camp focuses on teamwork and goal setting.  Students learned about future FFA careers, leadership opportunities, and contests.  It also helps the students set goals for their high school careers and beyond.

Mohawk FFA sent 11 members, which is half of the first-year class. The students who attended were Tori Chaney, Morgan Edgington, Cambria Kohlenberg, Joanie Lininger, Megan Ohl, Katie Pinkston, Logan Reinhart, Dominic Smith, Sara Spencer, Vanessa Stull, and Jordan Wheeler.… Continue reading

On Sunday Oct. 21, the Mt. Gilead FFA Chapter held its 3rd annual Fall Fun day for community kids. Over 50 elementary and middle school aged children dressed up and attended the event.

Members conducted activities, games and grilled hotdogs for people who attended. Kids were able to get their faces painted, paint pumpkins, bob for apples, egg toss and take a hayride. We would like to thank everyone who came out and supported our chapter!… Continue reading

To kick off the month of October the Fort Loramie FFA chapter sent 9 first year FFA members to the 2012 State Greenhand Conference hosted by the Versailles FFA Chapter. These members included Melanie Kremer, Emily Holdheide, Holly Frey, Renee Seger, Nathan Meyer, Nathan Poeppelman, Kaitlyn Holthaus, McKenize Eilerman, Kevin Meyer. The theme for this year’s conference was “First Down and Life to Go.” Members attended several workshops to learn about opportunities in the FFA, setting goals, working together as teams, and proper communication skills. They also had the opportunity to gain experience with a variety of Career Development Events including Agricultural and Industrial Diagnostics, Floriculture, Public Speaking, Job Interview, Ag Sales, Equine Judging, and Poultry Judging.

The Fort Loramie FFA is a satellite program of the Upper Valley Career Center.

 … Continue reading

FFA Rally to Fight Hunger was part of the 85^th National FFA Convention & Expo

By Emily Daniel, chapter reporter

­­­More than 9,500 FFA members, advisors and guests took part in the FFA Rally to Fight Hunger, October 24-26, in Indianapolis. One million meals were packaged in just 20 hours, with half of the meals staying in the Indianapolis area and half going to Haiti. The Rally was a highlight of the 85^th National FFA Convention & Expo.

Working with Kids Against Hunger, a humanitarian food-aid organization, FFA members from across the nation assembled meals to provide relief from hunger and malnutrition.

Members of the Mohawk FFA chapter that participated included Meghan Chaffee, Megan Cleveland, Emily Daniel, Lindsay Daniel, Kayla Draper, Morgan Edgington, Somer Freeman, Caitlyn Huffman, Austin Morter, Deon Morter, Cassie Parsons and Aaron Vasquez-Miller.

The FFA Rally to Fight Hunger was sponsored in part by Dow Agrosciences; Elanco; Farmers Feeding the World; Howard G.… Continue reading

By Katelyne Ackley, chapter reporter
On Oct. 13, 2012 first year members of the Benjamin Logan FFA attended the Versailles Greenhand Conference. Throughout the conference, members attended differentsessions to learn more about various Career Development Events.

The officers from Versailles assisted with each session along with Ohio State Officers. The main focal points involved: opportunities in FFA and Leadership, teamwork, goal setting, and communication.

Members attending were: Carlie Barns, Andrew Bickham, Tara Deardurff, Dakota Derr, Jackie Geboy, Orin Reames, Alex Shape, Karen Worrell, Paige Butler, Kenneth Styne, and Molly Worrel.… Continue reading

Eleven members from the Southeastern FFA attended the 85^th National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana from Oct. 24 to Oct. 27, 2012. Members attended sessions featuring guest speakers Scott Hamilton (Olympic gold medalist in figure skating), Walter Bond (former NBA player and current top-5 ranked motivational speaker) and a retiring address by national FFA southern region vice-president Cain Thurmond.

Awards for the honorary American FFA Degree, national chapter award and models of innovation were among many honors and presentations given on the main stage of the convention. The members also gathered information and participated in the national FFA career show, which featured over 2,400 exhibitors, colleges and universities.

Members also attended a concert featuring Brantley Gilbert and The Band Perry, a hypnotist session with Dr. Jim Wand and the Three Hills World’s Toughest rodeo, held at the Pepsi Coliseum. The rodeo event was the last and final event at the Pepsi Coliseum before it will be completely renovated and opened in time for the 2014 Indiana State Fair.… Continue reading

David Glass and Audrey Hoey, members of the Zane Trace FFA Chapter, recently placed 3rd in the Food Science Senior Team division of the National FFA Agriscience Fair.  The event took place during the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis on October 25th and 26th.

The pair were selected for this honor from over 30 participants in the Food Science division.  Their research involved the study of antioxidant components in berries and was conducted with the guidance of faculty of the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

This year marks the third time that David and Audrey have placed among the top three in the National Agriscience Fair.  They are already planning their research project for the upcoming year and hope to return to the National competition again in 2013.

Zane Trace FFA graduate Sarah Cox also participated in the National Agriscience Fair in the Plant Science division, where she placed 7th overall out of 36 competitors.… Continue reading

The 2012 National FFA Convention set a record for high attendance, with many Ohio students among the 56,176 attendees in Indianapolis. As always, the Buckeye state was well represented throughout convention. Visit the links below to take a look at scenes and stories from the 2012 National FFA Convention, and get ready for  the 2013 convention in Louisville!

• Thomas Shaw, a junior from the Greenville FFA Chapter, served as a student reporter for the Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net at National Convention. Check out Thomas’ updates and recaps here.
• See the four Ohio FFA members who were national proficiency award winners.
• See highlights from the convention in National FFA Convention photo gallery.
• Meller named National FFA Alumni achievement winner.
• The Ohio FFA and Buckeye Valley FFA Chapter along with the National FFA benefited from the auction of a one-of-a-kind CASE IH skid loader that will be coming back to Ohio.

What is in your soil? Loamy, Sandy, or maybe Clay? That is what Liberty-Benton FFA Chapter members were determining in Hardin Northern last Thursday. Members of the AFNR Ag Class at L-B as well a few other students who signed up to partake in this event took a day from school to head to Hardin Northern to judge soils.

During this CDE (Career Development Event), the students will learn soil quality. They judge the land capability, type, depth, drainage capability, as well as slope of the land. From that point, they will put the information into a table and determine its land class capability. They will also make a determination in a series of categories that would help the land be at its best. They will also determine whether it needs to be modified in some way for the betterment of crops  and livestock, or whether it is a swampy land condition.

Dr. David Zartman, professor emeritus, department of animal science at The Ohio State University, recently visited students during their agriculture classes to discuss challenges and the future of the livestock industry. Among the specific topics that the classes discussed were sustainable agriculture, winter grazing, management rotational grazing, aerial broadcasting of forage seed, breeding methods for beef and dairy operations, social movement toward locally grown and raised food products and perennial lactation. Students also shared questions and concerns regarding feeding a growing world population, animal rights and environmental group movements and livestock management. Accompanying Dr. Zartman was his wife, Micki, who spoke briefly about the World Food Prize. Both Dr. and Mrs. Zartman were recently inducted into the Ohio Agriculture Hall of Fame. The agriculture students would like to thank Dr. and Mrs. Zartman for spending the day and sharing their experiences and expertise about livestock production.

… Continue reading

Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students

Deadline for applications is Jan. 15, 2013

The Ohio Soybean Council Foundation (OSCF) is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students for the 2013-2014 academic year.

In order to ensure the future prosperity of the U.S. soybean industry, it is important that students understand the wide variety of opportunities available in agricultural careers. This scholarship program encourages undergraduate students at Ohio colleges and universities to pursue degrees in one of the many academic fields that support the future of the soybean industry including science and technology, economics, communication, education, business and leadership.

The graduate scholarships are designed to support students who are currently conducting research in the area of bioproducts, biobased materials, bioengineering, biopolymers or a related field.

“We need young people to pursue careers in agriculture in order to fulfill the workforce needs of this growing industry,” said Tom Fontana, OSCF, Director of Programs and Development. … Continue reading

“Grow” was the theme of this year’s National FFA Convention. 41 members of the Miami East FFA were in attendance at the convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Those members included Emily Beal, Kendra Beckman, Katrina Bendickson, Kolin Bendickson, Lindsey Brookhart, Jennifer Brown, Ashlee Bussen, Tanner Church, Trent Church, Casey Copeland, Danielle Danielson, Hannah Davis, Madeline Davis, Olivia Edgell, Rebekah Eidemiller, Haley Etherington, Daniel Everett, Colin Gump, Kayden Gustin, Amy Hahn, Caleb Johnson, Emily Johnson, Rian Kingrey, Kelsey Kirchner, Andrew Kowalak, Miranda Maggart, Haleigh Maggert, Syndey Oakes, Cody Reid, Levi Reid, Shane Richardson, Kelly Rindler, Lindsey Roeth, Allyson Supinger, Seth Tamplin, Brittany Taylor, Macaleh Thompson, Blane Wagner, Lauren Williams, Jarrett Willoughby, and Davey Wright. Thank you to Mr. Allen Mays, Mr. Eric Krites, Dr. Todd Rappold, and Mrs. Kris Johnson for chaperoning the trip.

More than 56,000 members, parents, and guests were in attendance at the National FFA Convention. Previous conventions were held in Kansas City, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky.… Continue reading

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On a fall windy evening, twenty-three first-year agriculture students took the first step toward achieving awards in earning the Greenhand FFA Degree. The Greenhand Degree is the first level of membership in the FFA. In order to qualify for the award, students must learn the FFA Creed, colors, motto and salute. Students must also be familiar with the local, state and national FFA constitutions as well as the organization’s history. Most importantly, students must have plans for a supervised agricultural experience program and be enrolled in an agricultural education course.

After over two weeks of work and effort, the following students received their degrees on October 18, 2012;

Aaron Banion

Miranda Bobst

Dusty Brown

Shawn Carpenter

Schyler Carr

David Carvour

Jillian Channell

Brooke Dent

Kalie Entler

Tristin Ford

Jordan Greene

Kylee Henry

Lea Kimley

Hayden Mobley

Dylan Nave

Madison Roddy

Adam Shawhan

Nick Shuler

Lucas South

Austin Spears

Davie Stucky

Elijah Whaley

Gabe Xayathone

The Southeastern FFA would like to express their thanks and gratitude to the Shawhan family for hosting the event.… Continue reading

California, Georgia, Illinois and Oklahoma FFA members win $4,000 award

Amid celebration of 3,247 FFA members earning their American FFA Degrees after demonstrating the highest level of commitment to FFA and making significant accomplishments in their supervised agricultural experiences, four FFA members were named best of the best.

The National FFA Organization announced the four winners of the prestigious American Star Awards Saturday morning at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium. The four FFA members learned of their new high honor during the eighth general session of the 85th National FFA Convention & Expo, each winning over three other national finalists in the four American Star Awards categories: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience.

American Star Farmer: Clayton Carley – Cissna Park FFA Chapter – Illinois

(Read the full individual release here: http://bit.ly/PyxiV0)

American Star in Agribusiness: Bradley Weaver – Dawson County FFA Chapter – Georgia

(Read the full individual release here: http://bit.ly/PbMB4F… Continue reading

A record number of FFA members from throughout the country attended the 2012 National FFA Convention & Expo this week in Indianapolis.

The convention and expo had 56,176 attendees.

The new record is an almost 3,000-member jump in convention attendance from last year, when 53,358 attended the event.

During the 2011-12 school year, 16,939 students joined FFA and raised the organization’s total membership to 557,318 students in grades seven through 12 in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Next year, the convention and expo heads to Louisville for a three-year run before coming back to Indianapolis in 2016.

The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 557,318 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,498 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.… Continue reading

Liberty-Benton FFA members were coming home at the Liberty-Benton Homecoming Parade Tuesday, October 9, 2012.

Members of the chapter participated in not only riding on the float and passing out candy to bystanders, but there were flowers that were on the float for decoration. There were also banners hung on the side of the trailer as well as a banner on the back. Members dressed in hunting gear (minus the weapons) or camouflage. After the one mile parade there was a bon fire which most of the L-B student body attended. L-B FFA members sure seemed to have fun coming home okn their homecoming float yesterday.

L-B would like to send a special thanks to all those involved with planning, decorating, participating, and support with their very own homecoming float.