Rawhide FFA recently attended their first state convention in Cheyenne.  We came home with many valuable life experiences, honors, and great incentives for our future competitions.  There were 1,500 kids at convention with only 4 participants from each chapter in 1 event. The students that went were challenged to begin with, having to pass a test to make it in the top 4 to qualify for state. We brought 6 different teams this year consisting of 19 students. Mechanics, Environmental and Natural Resources, Horse Judging, Livestock Judging, Poultry Judging, and Meats Judging. Clayton Williams got “Highest Individual” in the Machinery and Repair portion of the AG Mechanics CDE. That earned him a scholarship to Wyo Tech and a collectible model John Deere tractor as a souvenir.  The mechanics team placed first in the Energy and Power systems section. Garrett Dixon got 2nd in the Mechanics-Energy and Power portion out of 131 students. In meats judging, Kylie Strauch was 16th out of about 90 competitors. The livestock judging was in the top half out of 42 competitors with the horse judgers in the middle area, and ENR in the top division out of 28 competitors.

Being a first year chapter and being so close to the top in so many events is really impressive.  That being said, we brought a lot to take home with us from the convention so we can really improve for next year.

When asking students about their FFA experience this year, there were many positive responses. T. Carpenter, a freshman at NCHS said “FFA is the most fun and relatable activity he’s ever been involved in!” Getting FFA this year has really been an awesome experience for all! There have been many that have said “FFA makes school worth it” which is really great!! State convention was a great time and we proudly represented the Rawhide chapter! Thanks to everyone who have helped in supporting this group. We are planning on having a Banquet for Awards and Recognition of the members at the end of the year.