East Knox FFA places fourth in Ohio Animal Management CDE

On Nov. 11, four East Knox FFA members competed in the State Animal Management Career Development Event held in the Lausche Building at the Ohio Exposition Center in Columbus where they placed fourth out of a group of teams from across Ohio. Team members were Ava Page, Peyton Harris, Rhyan Williams, and Gweneth Opheim. Individually, Page finished as the second place competitor in the state, just three points behind the first place individual. One hundred and fifty FFA members qualified for the finals out of 1,234 who competed to reach that level. Williams finished 19th, Harris placed 36th, and Opheim was 63rd. The top ten teams and individuals receive awards.

To qualify for the state finals the participants had to place in the top 150 scores on the online general knowledge test taken prior to the state event with questions over cats, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets, sugar gliders, and reptiles. The top four scores count as the team score in the state finals.

At the finals members had to identify dog breeds, small and large varieties of birds, reptiles and amphibians, breeds of cats, rodents and miscellaneous animals, breeds of rabbits, bird feeds, dog and cat products and supplies, bird products and supplies, reptile and amphibian products and supplies, and small animal products and supplies. Additionally, each contestant performed four practicums. The practicums consisted of handling and sexing snakes, determining rabbit nutrition, explaining and evaluating cages and accessories for birds, and recognizing and evaluating ferret health requirements.

The purpose of the Animal Management Career Development Event is to provide students the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skills associated with companion animals in the pet industry. This is the fifth time that East Knox FFA has had a team in the State Animal Management CDE finals and the first time placing in the top five to receive a banner.