The 90th Nebraska State FFA Convention was held April 4th-6th in Lincoln, Nebraska. This year, the Fairbury FFA had 28 members attended the state convention. We had several members qualify for state CDEs at our district competition back in March.
The Ag Sales team was made up of all sophomores including Devin Wanamaker, Dalton Petersen, John Kerwood, and Kennedy DeBoer. None of them earned a ribbon, but it was a great learning experience! The next contest was Agriscience which is a freshman or first year contest. It was made up of Riley Wood, Taylor Gustafson, Harlie Blas, and Sarah Engelman. Riley Wood and Taylor Gustafson both earned red ribbons. The agronomy team did extremely well this year! The team was made up of senior Ashley Griffee and juniors Michaela Buchli, Tori Likens, and Delaney Miller. Griffee placed 2nd overall and earned a purple ribbon while Buchli earned a blue. The Natural Resources team was made up of seniors Jake Maschmann, Brock Barton, junior Trevin Arnold, and sophomore Dalton Petersen. Maschmann earned a blue ribbon while Barton earned a white. The next contest was floriculture. This team was made up of seniors Jordan Ruhnke, Shavara Kroeker, Paige Livingston, and freshman Brooklen Bear. Ruhnke earned a red ribbon in this contest. Junior livestock judging also went to state this year! To be in the junior division, you must either be a freshman or sophomore. The team was made up of freshmen Shelby Klaumann, Sarah Engelman, and Konnor Hasselbring. While none of them earned a ribbon, they all learned a lot about livestock judging! The Meats & Technology team was made up of juniors Jared Engelman, Kane Hasselbring, Colton Starck, and sophomore Taylor Runge. The final contest was Welding. This team was made up of sophomore John Kerwood and seniors Jesse Graves and Brock Barton. Taylor Runge was also part of the 2017-2018 Nebraska State Chorus. He had to audition back in December and was talented enough to be selected. Fairbury Jr/Sr High School Principal Mr. Nicholas Kroon received the Cornerstone Award. This is awarded to school leaders who have a school wide vision for Career and Technical Education and support Career Education Programs within their school. The Fairbury FFA Chapter also had four seniors earn their state degrees including Brock Barton, Jesse Graves, Miranda Heidemann, and Paige Livingston! It was a great year and an amazing experience!
