Urbana students compete at the Miami Trace Invitational

Urbana FFA members took part in the Miami Trace Invitational on March 9th, 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 3rd, Kianna Gsell 6th, Mason Farmer 9th, Janelle Hensley 26th, and John Chambers 33rd. The team placed 2nd 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 Nathan Deere 46th, Sam Wilhelm 95th, Madison McAlexander 154th, Lola Rice 208th, Lauren Stollings 249th, and Brooklyn Randall 289th. The team placed 19th 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 71st was the only participant from Urbana. Her team placing was 32nd 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