Sleepy Eye FFA Excels at Ag. Bowl Contest at SMSU. Front row (L to R): Chloe Howe, Daniel Armstrong, Paige Thoms, Rylee Jennisen, Nayzeth Luna, Brooke Arneson, Megan Sellner, Paige Haala, Nora Coulson, Maria Galaviz-Camacho, Hannah Meyer, Jace Schauman, Alex Confer, Mateo Hornsby. Second Row (L to R): Noemi Rodriguez, Izzy Kunkel, Katelyn Capacia, Presley Bauer, Miah Brown, Brissa Hernandez, Cadence Okerman, Yanellie Fernandez, Lily Kallevig, Maddison Helget, Sam Price, Taylor Berkner, Jaelynn Schauman, Yuri Fernandez. Back Row (L to R): Morgan Hoffmann, Jacob Schutz, Wyatt Barnes, Jake Price, Tim Fulton, Gavin Fischer, Nolan Weicherding, Nathan Rathman, Mackenna Fischer, Abi Hornsby, Manny Poplow, Adam Rodriguez.
By: Leisha Martinez
Chapter Reporter
40 Sleepy Eye FFA chapter members competed in several Career Development Events (CDE’s) at the SMSU Ag. Bowl on February 11th, in Marshall including: Small Animal Vet Science, Forestry, Floriculture, Milk Quality, Best Informed Greenhand, Soils, Meats, and Fish & Wildlife.
For Milk Quality, the Sleepy Eye Team placed 1st out of 17 teams. Team members include: Katelyn Capacia (1st), Megan Sellner (3rd), Rylee Jenissen (4th), and Jace Schauman. In the MQ Contest, students identify cheese and their characteristics, identify off flavors in milk, and judging dairy vs. non-dairy products as well as identify their milk fat contents. They also take a knowledge test on dairy production, management, and marketing.
The BIG Team or Best Informed Greenhand Team took an exam on FFA including: history, officers, facts, and parliamentary procedure. Team members include: Yanellie Fernandez (8th), Adam Rodriguez, Chloe Howe, Manuelle Poplow, Lily Kallevig (6th), Cadence Okerman, Izzy Kunkel, Noemi Rodriguez, Tim Fulton, and Nolan Weicherding. The team placed 2nd in the contest.
For the Soils Contest, Maddison Helget (2nd), Mackenna Fischer, and Nathan Rathman (7th) competed for Sleepy Eye FFA. The team placed 2nd out of 12 teams. In the soils contest, members judge different soil profiles, and identify soil characteristics, including texture, depths, and erosion potential.
The Floriculture teams earned 3rd Place out of 27 teams for Ag. Bowl. Team members include: Brooke Arneson (3rd), Morgan Hoffmann (10th), Presley Bauer, and Nayzeth Luna. The Floriculture CDE tests student knowledge of flowers and plants, growing media, fertilizer, greenhouse management, design concepts, and the floriculture industry. They also are tested on their identification skills of annuals, cut flowers, greenhouse crops, and floriculture equipment and tools. The final part of the Floriculture CDE is problem solving dealing with pricing, calculating media and fertilizer, production schedules, floral design, and safety for chemical use.
Other members competed in Small Animal Vet Science and Fish & Wildlife. For Vet Science, Brissa Hernandez, Nora Coulson, Paige Haala, Paige Thoms, Taylor Berkner, and Miah Brown competed. Miah was the top scorer on the team. The Vet Science team members were tested on their knowledge of common pets, pet health, vet science terms & skills, and animal anatomy. An identification of different species including: dogs, cats, birds, fish, parasites, rabbits, and other animals kept as pets is also a large part of the contest. The team was 18th out of 36 teams.
The Fish & Wildlife competitors included: Jake Price, Jacob Schultz, Abi Hornsby, Mateo Hornsby, and Wyatt Barnes. Jacob was the top scorer on the team. The Fish & Wildlife contest consists of three parts: identification (mammals, fish, birds, insects, reptiles/amphibians), a knowledge test, and a current events activity on lake quality. The team placed 11th out of 32 teams.
The Forestry Team members included: Hannah Meyer, Sam Price, Daniel Armstrong, and Jaelynn Schauman. Daniel earned top scorer on the Sleepy Eye team and the team was 4th out of 9 teams. For the forestry contest, members identify trees, wood, and tools used in the forestry industry; measure trees; take a forestry exam; solve business management problems; and use a compass and pacing to figure out the bearing and distance.
For Meats, the team members identified the different cuts of beef, pork, and lamb. Trevor Rathman, Maria Galaviz-Camacho, Gavin Fischer, Yuridia Fernandez, and Alex Confer. The team placed 15th out of 23 teams. Maria was the top scorer on the team.
Sleepy Eye FFA is proud to have these students work hard and excel at an Invitational Contest. Congratulations to all of the team members!