HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Mohawk FFA Chapter recently traveled to Harrisburg for three days at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. The students paid for the entire trip with fundraisers.
At the FFA Mid-Winter Convention, three Mohawk FFA members received the State FFA Degree — Corbin Rohrmann, son of Dee Dee and Rich Rohrmann; Travis Singer, son of Scott and Michelle Singer; and Megan Shiderly, daughter of David and Sharlene Shiderly.
Cliff Wallace is the chapter adviser.
The PA FFA Alumni sponsored a first-year member jacket competition. Mohawk FFA’er Brenden Theisler wrote an essay on what a FFA jacket would mean to him and he received a free FFA jacket for competing.
More than 400 jackets were awarded.
The FFA square dance teams, which have practiced for the past two months, competed Jan. 12 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show large arena.
In total, 58 sets competed using the Danish system of scoring; perfect scores received blue, single faults received red, and two errors received white ribbons. The teams were coached by Janet Wallace and Ed Clark.
Mohawk blue ribbon dancers included Dan Cowher, Brandon Raney, Chris Lindsay, David Garver, Robert Bozlinski, Chelsey Ball, Tristan Voss, Vanessa Lehman, Hanna Rohrmann, and Hope Rohrmann.
Red ribbon winners: Dylan Clark, Tim Murtha, Josh Toscano, Nick Szewczyk, Samantha Vankirk, Madison Cendroski, Anna Hostetler, Kelli Hostetler, and Mallorie Shiderly.
Mohawk’s demonstration team won the Farm Show competition, topping a field of 28 demonstration teams. Team members were Dylan Clark, Tim Murtha, Scott Relic, Randy Pauline, Anthony Musitano, Albert Womer, Blake Solley and Travis Singer.
The team converted a small gasoline engine to operate on propane, basing their demonstration on a grant FFA co-adviser, Cameron Schirmer, wrote for converting engines to natural gas. The grant sponsored by ING financial was for $2,500.
The group purchased a conversion kit for one of the department’s engines and showed startup first on gasoline, and then on propane after conversion. The department hopes to purchase a dynamometer and study the conversion’s effect on horsepower.
Other western Pa. teams. In addition to Mohawk’s win, FFA chapters from other western Pennsylvania schools fared well.
Blackhawk FFA, with Adviser Lyndsay Wilcox, finished second with a demonstration composting recycled paper for raising earthworms; Wilmington placed third, under Adviser Joanna McKelvey, with bee keeping; Moniteau, and Adviser Bryan Dean, placed fourth with making a hydraulic ram pump for water.
Moniteau teams also finished seventh, eighth and ninth, with additional demonstrations.
The Laurel FFA demonstration team, advised by Randy Harold, finished 17th.
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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania FFA members were honored during the youth agricultural organization’s annual convention Jan. 12, at the 2015 Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.
The Keystone Degree, the highest honor earned at the state level, was bestowed upon 337 FFA members, with nearly 5,000 FFA members cheering them on.
Four state star winners were named: Nicolas Vosburg, Athens FFA Chapter, State Star in Agribusiness; Michael Long Jr., Northern Lebanon FFA Chapter, State Star in Agricultural Production; Jenna Diehl, Grassland FFA Chapter, State Star in Agricultural Science; and Brooke Balmer, Manheim FFA Chapter, State Star in Agricultural Placement.
The Pennsylvania FFA Alumni Association awarded 550 first-year members with their own official FFA jacket. Each student had to go through an application process as well as writing an essay before being selected.
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