RANDLETT, Okla. — The Big Pasture FFA Chapter was recently selected to compete for national recognition in a career development event at the 92nd annual National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Oct. 30-Nov. 1.
Big Pasture FFA will send members to Indianapolis as they vie for national honors in the area of dairy cattle evaluation and management. Allflex USA Inc. sponsors the event. FFA members who will represent the chapter include Payton Benson, Katelyn Laminack, Caleb Robinson and Miya White. Melanie Van der Laan is the chapter advisor.
“I am so excited,” Laminack said. “This is such a great opportunity for our dairy judging team.”
Dairy cattle evaluation and management is one of 25 career/leadership development event areas, covering jobs skills in everything from communications to mechanics. Members put the skills learned in their high school agricultural education classes to use in a practical manner. Participants evaluate multiple classes of dairy cattle and present oral reasons for their selections. Teams work together to develop a comprehensive management plan for a farm described in a given scenario. CDEs and LDEs help students develop the abilities to think critically, communicate clearly and perform effectively in a competitive job market.
Van der Laan said she hopes this experience will encourage other FFA members to participate in more contests this year.
“This is a big deal for our chapter,” Van der Laan said. “I hope students realize even though we are in a small town there are still big, exciting opportunities for them if they work hard.”
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 649,355 student members who belong to one of 7,859 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The organization is also supported by 225,891 alumni members in 1,934 alumni chapters throughout the U.S.