The Adair County FFA placed top ten in the nation in the National Crop Scouting Contest. Team members were Ethan Wooten, Addie Baker, Lane Kelsay, Braxton Irvin, and Hudson Hancock. After winning the state contest in July, the team spent the next two months preparing to represent Adair County at the national level in Ames, Iowa.
The trip had an unexpected start with a missed flight, but the students overcame this challenge and enjoyed preparing for their contest in Iowa. While there, they had the opportunity to tour the Waterloo Works John Deere plant in Waterloo and learn about the career opportunities, skills and technology that go into preparing a modern tractor for use in grain crop production.
They were also able to learn about wind turbines and the science behind sorghum production. When the students were not on educational tours, they were sharpening their skills thanks to the professors and students that operate the research farms with Iowa State University.
The national contest required students to diagnose agronomic disorders, evaluate modern scouting practices, including the use of drones, identify and provide recommendations on how to manage many different types of weeds, diseases, and pests, and provide a detailed explanation of proper alfalfa production. Students were evaluated based on accuracy, teamwork, and professionalism as they worked their way through 11 different stations. They placed in the top ten overall and received perfect scores for both teamwork and professionalism.
The team was incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to represent Adair County FFA at such a high level. Their success is only possible due to the generous support of our many sponsors. The Farm Bureau Federation, Kenton Vaughn from Ag Revolution, Gaskins Fertilizer, Day & Day, Ag Commissioner Jonathan Shell, Farm Bureau North, Farm Bureau South, Burkmann Feeds, Janes Fertilizer, and United Citizens Bank all assisted in sponsoring the trip to the grain belt. The team would also like to thank the countless producers across Adair County that allowed us to practice on using their crops.
This level of success requires an exorbitant amount of time and determination. The students were a wonderful example of young leaders in the agricultural industry, and they look forward to participating in the contest again in the future.
By Gabby Barnes
