Members of the West Central FFA Chapter competed at two preliminary qualifying events during March. Members competed at Lennox on March 22 and in the Tai-Valley CDEs (Career Development Events) held at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds on March 29th. Members needed to place within the top five teams in an 11 chapter District on March 29 in order to capture their berth to the state CDEs held in April during the State FFA Convention in Rapid City, SD. All eight of West Central’s CDE teams qualified to compete at and attend the State CDEs.
Teams and members advancing to the state level are:
Ag Mechanics – Noah Pressler, Luke Nichols, Cian McMillin, and Kenny Vockrodt
Agronomy – Jude Jarding, Chandler Carda, Fisher Flanagan, and Shayne Luzmoor
Equine Evaluation – Jami Bergeson, Chase Olson, Ali Zacharias, and Maddie Leasure
Food Science – Josslin Jarding, Grace Harden, McKenna Sichmeller, and Grace Harden
Livestock Evaluation – Kody Goehring, Kiara Ebbinga, Emma Kuhlman, and Madison DeMent
Natural Resources – Andrew Rick, Jack Linneman, Bennett Sebert, and Connor Siemonsma
Nursery Landscape – Lexi Nichols, Hanna Lee, Jazelle Jarding, and Addi Bahrenfuss
Vet Science – Jesse Kline, Kelsey Vockrodt, Dalton Mulder, and Samantha Jungwirth
Through Career Development Events, participating FFA members in grades 7 to 12 are challenged to develop critical thinking skills and effective decision-making skills, foster teamwork, and promote communication while recognizing the value of ethical competition and individual achievement. CDEs occur at the local, state, and national levels.
