HOWARD, Ohio — East Knox FFA competed in the State FFA Forestry Career Development Event held at Hocking College Sept. 27, placing seventh out of a field of teams from across Ohio. Twelve members of the East Knox FFA competed in this event with the top four scores counting as the team score. The top four scorers were McKenzie Schwartz, Gweneth Opheim, Curtis Divan and Hayden Garman. Other members of the team were Joey Lively, Ariel Atkinson, John Chadwick, Landen Davis, Bryar Wilson, Marcus Dunn, Peyton Harris and Kylie Griffith. The team will receive a plaque for its top-10 state finish and the top 10 individuals will each receive a plaque at the annual Ohio FFA Convention next May in Columbus.
This year’s seventh place finish marks the 34th year in a row that East Knox FFA has placed in the top 10 teams in the state contest with 22 of those being top five in Ohio. They won the State in 2024, 2020, 2013, and 1999 and have finished fourth more than any other placing at nine times.
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SULLIVAN, Ohio — Black River FFA officers Rylee Howard, Caleb Howard, Addison Flynn recently attended the Medina County Farm Bureau annual meeting. The chapter was recognized for its participation in several of the bureau’s yearly events and activities, highlighting the continued involvement and commitment of club members. During the meeting, Black River FFA graduate and alumni
member Chloee Howard was awarded an academic scholarship for her outstanding achievements.
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MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The Mount Vernon FFA chapter competed in the Ohio FFA Forestry Career Development Event Sept. 27 at Hocking College, placing 22nd in the state, showcasing their knowledge and skills in various forestry-related areas. Representing Mount Vernon FFA were Zeva Sheets, Connor Thomas, Ellie Boggs, Evelyn Martinez and Lilly Burchard.
The Forestry Career Development Event provides FFA members with the opportunity to explore forestry and natural resources while practicing hands-on skills important to the industry.
RUSHVILLE, Ohio — Mount Vernon FFA members competed in the District Soils Career Development Event held Sept. 30 in Rushville, Ohio. The contest brought together top teams from across the region to test their knowledge and skills in evaluating soil properties and making informed land-use decisions.
Mount Vernon FFA continued its success from the county level, with both teams earning district recognition and qualifying for the state contest. The Urban Soils Team finished in third place, and the Rural/Agricultural Soils Team finished in fifth place.
Individually, several Mount Vernon members placed among the top competitors in the district: Izzy Barron was third, Madison Seng was sixth and Phoebe Mussard was 10th. Both Mount Vernon teams advanced to the State Soils Contest set for Oct. 11.
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WEST SALEM, Ohio — Each year for the Wayne County Fair, Northwestern FFA is provided with an exhibit area to decorate and display various classroom projects. The theme for this year was “Country Music Concert.” Students created electrical boards, passion projects and wood projects. The main part of the booth was decorated with the concert theme and included displays of the officer team’s passion projects. Members who helped set up the fair booth included Emma Connelly, Addy Connelly, Chet McNeil, Brooke Hershey, Makenna Connelly, Jake Howman, Lillian Boreman, Alivia Welch and Landen Rouse.
Northwestern FFA had many members participate in the Wayne County Fair shop projects, which consisted of electrical boards. The class Ag Shop 1 is for first-year shop students. These students completed many projects this year, including different types and designs of electrical boards. The students who had projects on display were Grady Ellerbrock, Triston Flinn, Aveon Gray, Madison Miller, Ariana Pettry, Daniel Shakan and Tim Spencer.
Along with the electrical boards, Ag Shop 2 and Ag Shop 3 also had a wood project this year, with each student creating a wooden cutting board. The students who participated in this wood project were Nate Fulton, Jamison Gilbert, Chase Graham, Riley Graham, Jake Howman and Lucas Jenkins.
The eighth-grade Exploring Electricity class assembled single-pole switches using diagrams to be displayed. The students who had electrical projects on display were Brey Boldman and Landen Rouse.
This year, our AFNR students were able to get hands-on in the shop by doing small wood projects as beginners. They gained simple woodshop skills such as selecting wood, measuring, cutting, drilling and nailing. With the help of Mr. Wiley, 35 AFNR students created boot pulls. The students who had theirs displayed were Cara Graham, Case Keener, Madeline Morris, Austin Pierson, Jaysen Royse and Shaydan Starlin.
The Plant and Animal Science class also completed a wood project by teaming up to build a picnic table. The students who built the table were Madilyn Smith, Lilly Boreman, Brooke Hershey, Jaycee Reed, Keaton Harris, Syrus Nyomo, Haley McLaughlin and Arian Means.
Passion Projects were also completed by our officer team. A Passion Project is anything a student feels strongly about and can share in service to others. This year’s Passion Projects were created by Vikki Aicone, Kaylee Cherry, Addy Connelly, Emma Connelly, Makenna Connelly, Mallory Gilbert, Brooke Hershey, Kate Johnson, Chet McNeil and Alivia Welch. The requirements for this project included presenting a theme, promoting service to others, displaying individual projects, and showing organization and creativity in the display
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RACINE, Ohio — The Racine Southern FFA chapter officers recently traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for its annual FFA officer retreat. The trip was a mix of leadership development, team-building and planning. The officers used the retreat to set goals, strengthen their bonds and prepare to lead the chapter to success. By the end of the retreat, the officers had a clear vision for the year.
A major focus of the retreat was planning the chapter’s calendar of events. They discussed new ideas to increase member engagement
and planned how to best support the FFA members in their various projects, from livestock showing, plant sales, shop safety demonstrations, hosting catfish tournaments, to public speaking. This proactive planning ensures that the chapter will have a well-organized year.
RACINE, Ohio — The Racine Southern FFA participated in the Meigs County Fair Aug. 11. The chapter’s teamwork was on full display in the fair’s exhibit hall. Members collaborated to design and build an impressive fair booth that was both vibrant and educational, capturing the attention of visitors and judges alike. The booth wasn’t just a decoration; it was a testament to the chapter’s collective creativity and shared passion for agriculture. There were wiring projects, shop projects, livestock projects and greenhouse projects.
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ohio — On Sept. 16, 14 Fayetteville FFA members participated in the annual roadside clean-up in the village of Fayetteville. Members collected trash and separated the recyclables. In total, eight bags of trash and one bag of recyclables were collected.
The next day, Sept. 17, 27 Fayetteville FFA members visited the Farm Science Review held in London, Ohio. Members had the opportunity to visit various organizations and companies, speak to industry representatives about the products or services their company or organization offers and see field demonstrations and Gwynne Conservation area.
