By Assistant Reporter: Maggie Reynolds
On October 18th, the Kuna FFA chapter sent 20 members to the 83rd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana to participate in Career Development Events and explore in-depth the FFA program and agricultural opportunities. Kuna had three State-winning teams who advanced on to the National level. All three teams excelled, each earning the gold standard award. Parliamentary Procedure, coached by Mr. Blackstock, advanced to the semi-finals, which consisted of the top twelve teams. Brett Blackstock (chairman), Rachael Ashley (secretary), Hayley Johnson, Maggie Reynolds, Michelle Ball, Sam Emmert, and Anna Rodriguez (who became a certified parliamentarian) were members of the team. The objective of this CDE was for members to demonstrate their knowledge in running an efficient meeting using Robert’s Rules of Order. Teams conducted a ten minute meeting, completed minutes of the meeting, and took a written test. At the end of the CDE, Rachael earned the title of overall High Secretary.
Farm Business Management, also coached by Mr. Blackstock, placed 7th, with the members Scott Hukill (15th), Chris Ball (19th), Jessica Reynolds, and Marcy Winger. Each member completed a three hour test to demonstrate their ability to analyze farm business management information and make decisions using that information. They also participated in a team activity where they created a solution to an economical farm business problem. Agronomy, coached by Mr. Dygert, placed 6th in the nation, with members Josh Winger, who was 5th high individual, Mark Nebeker, Brynn Powell, and Kaisa Werner. Team members identified plants and seeds of crops and weeds, plant diseases and insects, as well as machinery used for farming. They also graded common grains to evaluate their quality. The team was able to participate in a diagnostic clinic, where they analyzed and classified soil used for planting, as well as a team activity, where they planned out an entire year for a piece of farm land, picking the crop to be planted and estimating the cost for the year. The following five active senior members also participated in the National FFA Convention activities: Katy Szatkowski (chapter president), Kelsey Moore, Kayla Wartman, Travis Bauer, and Marria Unser. Congratulations also go to Casey Zufelt who received her American FFA Degree.
Members had fun touring Indianapolis and Louisville, as well as going to a career show and FFA sessions where they were able to listen to motivational speakers. Thank you to our chaperones Mrs. Blackstock, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds and Parli Pete, Mr. Ball, Mr. Emery, and our advisors. Thank you as well to our community for supporting our chapter through the Scholarship Auction and Produce Sales, which helped reduce the cost of the trip for members. We also appreciate all your thoughts and words of encouragement. Congratulations to all the members who represented Kuna FFA with their many hours of hard work and spectacular achievements.