Urbana FFA competes at Marysville Invitational

Urbana FFA members took part in the Marysville Invitational on March 2, where teams competed in several different judging contests. Among these were: Dairy Products, General Livestock, and Equine Management. These competitions promote leadership and life skills for the students involved. All students take part in practices before the contests to learn the skills they will need for the competitions. Teams are made up of at least four members, and are given an accumulative score on the three highest ratings.

In the Dairy Products Contest contestants have to identify and score milk defects. They must also ID different cheeses, calculate CMT scores on samples of milk, and identify the fat content of milk products. Finally they must take a test based on the dairy industry and trends within the industry. The participants from Urbana were Aaron Hernandez 14th, Kianna Gsell 16th, Mason Farmer 29th, John Chambers 72nd, and Janelle Hensley 90th. The team placed 6th overall.

The General Livestock students judge two classes of beef, swine, goats and sheep based on market and breeding characteristics. They also have three female selection classes and two paper scenario classes. The participants were Madison McAlexander 105th, Sam Wilhelm 299th, Nathan Deere 342nd, Michael Hooten 343rd, Bryce Stambaugh 420th, Lauren Stollings 557th, and Brooklyn Randall 573th. The team placed 49th overall. We also had middle schooler Xavier Phillips participate in the General Livestock competition as an individual. He placed 80th. His team placing was 29th overall.

The Equine Management team evaluates horses on their confirmation, structure and ability to move. They also identify various feeds, hays, tacks and supplies used in the industry. Amari Jones 137th was the only participant from Urbana. Her team placing was 64th overall.

This was one of our first invitationals for the year with more to go before the state competition. Students will take their results and experience from each invitational and use them as study materials to better themselves for future competitions.

Respectfully submitted,

Kianna Gsell

Urbana FFA Reporter