FFA members receive degrees

Recently, at the 97th annual Ohio FFA Convention held in the Celeste Center at the Ohio Exposition Center, East Knox FFA members Hailey Frazee and Jesse Wolford received their State FFA Degrees. This is the highest degree that an FFA member can receive on the state-level and is earned by only about two percent of the state membership. To receive this award the members had to complete the 14-page degree application, then submit it to the county and district level before the final evaluation at the state level.

Requirements for the degree include having net earnings from Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects of at least $2,500, productively investing a minimum of $2,000, serving as an FFA officer or committee member, participating in FFA career development events on the state-level, completing school and professional activities, participating in at least eight FFA activities above the chapter level, completing a minimum of 25 hours of community service, having a satisfactory grade point average, and having at least 93 percent attendance at school.Frazee’s SAE projects include job placement at Lanning’s Meats and completing various home improvement projects. She served as the 2022-23 chapter president and was a state gold-rated chapter secretary the previous year. Hailey has competed in four national-level FFA Career Development Events - the National Environmental/Natural Resources team that represented Ohio in Indianapolis in 2022, Forestry in 2022 and Milk Quality & Products in 2023 at the Eastern Region competition that was at the Eastern States Exposition in Massachusetts, and the National Agricultural Soils contest in Oklahoma in 2022. She attended state and national FFA conventions, state leadership nights, and district officer training. Frazee, a 2023 East Knox graduate, is the daughter of Mike and Missy Frazee of Mount Vernon.

Wolford’s SAE projects include raising and showing market goats at the Knox County Fair, completing various home improvement projects, and working on the home farm. Wolford has served as the East Knox FFA secretary and received a state gold rating. He has competed in Agricultural Soils, Nursery/Landscape, Food Science, Farm Business Management, Greenhand Quiz, and Environmental/Natural Resources career development events. He was a member of the state first place Milk Quality & Products team that represented Ohio in the national contest last fall in Indianapolis placing fifteenth. He attended state and national FFA conventions and other leadership events. Wolford, a 2024 East Knox graduate, is the son of Jessica and Dennis Claggett of Bladensburg.

This year’s two state degrees now make 114 total East Knox State FFA Degree recipients since East Knox FFA was chartered in 1964.