AMANDA, Ohio — This year, the Amanda-Clearcreek FFA Chapter made both chapter and state history at the Ohio FFA State Public Speaking Career Development Event held on March 7 at Marysville High School. To earn a spot to compete in the state competition, members had to advance from both the county and district competitions by placing in the top two in their respective categories. The public speaking CDE consists of four different categories in which a member can compete: FFA Creed Speaking, Beginning Prepared Speaking, Advanced Prepared Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking.
This year, five Amanda-Clearcreek FFA members earned their way to compete in the state competition. Jazmine Arledge competed in the FFA Creed Speaking competition, where she placed in the top 10 in Ohio. The Creed Speaking CDE requires freshman members to recite the FFA creed written by E.M. Tiffany, followed by five minutes of follow-up questions about the FFA creed. Grace Martin and Riley Strickler both competed in the Beginning Prepared Speaking competition, and both placed in the top 10 in Ohio. In the Beginning Prepared Speaking CDE, members are required to memorize and recite a five to seven-minute speech based on an agricultural topic of their choice, followed by a five-minute question and answer session.
Troy Busch and Emma Strickler both competed in the Extemporaneous Speaking CDE. The Extemporaneous Speaking CDE requires members to choose a random agricultural topic, research that topic for 30 minutes, and then give a four to six-minute speech followed by questions regarding the topic. Emma Strickler placed first in Ohio, making her one of only six FFA members in Ohio FFA history who have won both Senior Prepared and Extemporaneous Speaking State Championships. Strickler also won the Beginning Prepared Speaking CDE. A former A-C FFA member, Josie Montoney, has also earned this rare honor. In October, Strickler will be representing both the chapter and the entire State of Ohio at the 99th Annual National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. Troy Busch placed second in Ohio in Extemporaneous Speaking. This fall, Busch will be traveling to Boston, Massachusetts, to compete in the Eastern Region competition held at the Big E, along with other FFA members in the Eastern Region who earned their way to compete in the Regional contest in this particular CDE area. This is the first time in Ohio FFA history that the top two in the State have represented the same FFA Chapter.
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WEST SALEM, Ohio — On Feb. 24, members of the Northwestern Wayne FFA Chapter participated in the district competition for Agricultural Sales. This career development event is designed to provide students with experience with skills essential for the production and marketing of agricultural products. The team event illustrates related careers and offers a firsthand look at developing product knowledge and driving sales. Each team in the Agricultural Sales CDE consists of students, with each person’s effort contributing to the team’s final score. Teams are provided an example product, product information and customer profiles at the start of the event from which they collaboratively develop a sales plan. Judges then evaluate the collaboration process and the team’s final sales plan. Individuals also complete a written exam that tests sales concept knowledge. At the district level, the team placed first. The members who participated in this CDE were Jake Howman, Chet McNeil, Landen Rouse and Ray Sloan. On March 10, the team traveled to Columbus to the Ohio FFA Center to compete at the State Ag Sales competition, where they placed 18th in the state.
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MILLERSBURG, Ohio — On March 7, West Holmes FFA member Una Holasek competed in the state speaking contest at Marysville High School, placing eighth in her Creed Speaking room. She qualified for state after the Feb. 11 district contest at Shelby High School, where she was second in Creed Speaking, and Mackenzie Mast scored third in Advanced Prepared Speaking.
Earlier, at sub-districts on Feb. 4 at Firelands High School, Holasek placed first in Creed Speaking, Mast was first in Advanced Prepared Speaking and Emma Eberhard was fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking, which requires students to prepare a four to six-minute speech on a random agricultural topic in 30 minutes. Holasek and Mast both advanced from sub-districts to districts.
MILLERSBURG, Ohio — West Holmes FFA members participated in virtual State Contests on Feb. 9 and 23. After the first prelims, they ranked 16th in the state and sixth in the district out of 22 teams and 242 individuals. In the second state prelim on Feb. 23, the team improved to 15th in the state and fifth in the district. The contests covered general safety, the green industry and reading seed and fertilizer labels; they required members to identify trees, plants, insects, landscaping tools, equipment and plant diseases, as well as interpret a blueprint and a fertilizer label.
MILLERSBURG, Ohio — The West Holmes FFA Ag Food and Natural Resources classes took the Greenhand Quiz on Feb. 23 and the Animal & Plant Science class took the Farm Business Management Exam on Feb. 2. The Greenhand Quiz tests the students’ knowledge of FFA history and basic parliamentary procedure. The Farm Business Management Exam includes questions relating to the economic principles of farm management.
The Greenhand team placed fifth in the district and 58th in the state out of 165 teams and 3,421 individuals. The Farm Business Management team placed seventh in the district and 31st in the state out of 110 teams and 1,099 individuals.
MILLERSBURG, Ohio — On Feb. 24, the West Holmes FFA competed in the District Ag Sales contest at the Wayne County Career Center, where the team placed third overall. Individually, Logan Van Dalen also finished third. The event included seven teams and 28 participants.
MILLERSBURG, Ohio — On Feb. 28, members of the West Holmes FFA competed in Dairy Judging contests at the ATI Equine Center. During dairy judging, contestants place dairy cows, take a test over the dairy industry, read pedigrees and complete a sire selection scenario. The West Holmes dairy judging team finished sixth overall at ATI, with Jenna Zimmerly placing seventh individually. In total, there were 91 teams and 631 individuals in the contest.
MILLERSBURG, Ohio — On March 11, the West Holmes FFA competed in Ag Mechanics Contest at Wynford High School. During the contest, contestants classify oil and lubricants, weld, identify tools and fasteners, complete a carburetor labeling diagram, size and identify nuts and bolts, use a micrometer and identify parts from a small engine. The team placed seventh out of seven teams.
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SHELBY, Ohio — The Shelby FFA chapter has announced its newest State FFA Degree recipients: Kayne Cooke, Bryanna Francis, Kyleigh Biglin, Paytan Byrd, Payton Stover, Sam Fairchild and Trent Rodman. The State FFA Degree is a prestigious milestone that requires members to go above and beyond standard classroom hours. To qualify, students must be active members for at least two years, show leadership and demonstrate a strong commitment to their SAEs by earning and productively investing at least $1,000 or working 300 hours.
The chapter has also announced its American Degree recipients: Addison Shira, Cailey Fairchild, Carson Sercriskey, Grace Rietschlin and Jack Stover. The American FFA Degree is the highest honor achievable through the National FFA Organization, and less than 1% of all FFA members nationwide reach this level. It requires a very detailed record book, as well as $10,000 earned and $7,500 invested in their agricultural businesses.
Chapter officer books submitted for state-level evaluation — judged on accuracy, neatness and completeness — all achieved a Gold Rating, meaning the officers performed their duties with near-perfection. Congratulations to Riley Cantleberry for her secretary book, Grady Schroeder for his treasurer book and Payton Stover and Adalie Miller for compiling an outstanding scrapbook of the year.
SHELBY, Ohio — The Shelby FFA chapter wrapped up a whirlwind FFA Week filled with school spirit and agricultural pride. From honoring the chapter’s agricultural roots to participating in bonding activities, the members and staff showed exactly why the blue and gold pride runs so deep.
The week kicked off on Tuesday, when members traded their official dress for pajamas to enjoy popcorn and movies in the classroom throughout the day. The sweetness continued at lunch with ice cream for the entire student body, but the real highlight was the “Tape the President to the Wall” event. Students lined up for the chance to secure the chapter president to the gym wall with layers of silver duct tape, all in the name of school spirit. The day ended with a literal splash as the officer team braved the cold for an after-school Ice Bucket Challenge.
Wednesday’s theme was Camo and Orange, turning the hallways into a sea of high-visibility gear. During lunch, students took a moment to write teacher appreciation notes, recognizing the staff members who support the chapter year-round. Inside the classroom, things got competitive with a pudding-eating contest that was as messy as it sounds. The day concluded on a sweet note with a staff-only pie and ice cream social after school, a small “thank you” to our hardworking educators.
Thursday was all about the farmers. Students put on their favorite hats and workwear for Farmer Day, but the real spectacle was in the parking lot for “Drive Your Truck, Tractor or Toy to School Day.” From massive farm machinery to creative “toy” alternatives, the parking lot was a lot more interesting than usual. The excitement moved to the shop for the “Ag Shop Olympics,” followed by a high-stakes “Lil International Drag Race” that had everyone cheering.
The week ended on Friday with the highly anticipated Community Breakfast, where members served those who support local agriculture. The halls were a vibrant display of Blue and Gold Day pride. Lunchtime featured a farmer-themed photobooth for students to capture memories, while classrooms hosted intense corn hole tournaments to settle bragging rights.
