Fredericktown FFA attends the Marysville CDE Invitational

On March 7, the Fredericktown FFA chapter traveled to Marysville with a group of 15 members to compete in the second invitational of the year. The students represented the chapter across three different Career Development Events: General Livestock Judging, Equine Management, and Wildlife Management.

The General Livestock team faced a large field of competition, placing 34th out of 120 participating teams. In this event, members are tasked with evaluating groups of livestock and ranking them from best to worst based on physical traits. They also participate in a keep-cull class for breeding females and answer specific questions based on their observations. Out of 551 total individuals, the chapter was led by Lane Dugan (28th), Nash Stull (203rd), Kellen Algire (206th), and Allissya Dugan (341st). Austin Robinson, Jordyn Neighbarger, Keith Rogers, and Austin Frazier also competed for the team, while middle schooler Carson Sanchez placed 38th out of 93 in the middle school division.

In the Equine Management contest, members were tested on their ability to judge halter and performance classes, identify tack equipment, and evaluate hay quality. This "small but mighty" Fredericktown team finished 33rd out of 54 schools. Individually, Reagan Blanchard took 84th place and Lily Hambleton followed in 91st.

Rounding out the event, Izzy Broerman acted as a one-person team for the Wildlife Management CDE. This event requires a deep knowledge of Ohio wildlife species and the ability to solve conservation-related problems. Izzy’s performance earned the team 27th place overall, with an individual ranking of 53rd.