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Putnam County FFA Attends 94th Missouri FFA Convention

By Morris, Randy on April 26, 2022

Randy Morris

Seventeen members of the Putnam County FFA Chapter attended the State FFA Convention on April 21-22, 2022 in Columbia Missouri. Front (l-r) Brock Munden, Chase Simmons, Jude Watt, Chase Tomlin, Case Preston. Middle Row (l-r) Kooper Hornaday, Cora Hartwig, Silvia Brown, Dylan Hamilton, Vanessa Bondy, Bailey Diveley, and Kora Bain. Back (l-r) Adeline Dickerson, Sofia Valencia, Kennedee Beals, and Maddison Beals. (not pictured Tessa Gillis)

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Randy Morris

Seventeen members of the Putnam County FFA Chapter attended the State FFA Convention on April 21-22, 2022 in Columbia Missouri. Front (l-r) Brock Munden, Chase Simmons, Jude Watt, Chase Tomlin, Case Preston. Middle Row (l-r) Kooper Hornaday, Cora Hartwig, Silvia Brown, Dylan Hamilton, Vanessa Bondy, Bailey Diveley, and Kora Bain. Back (l-r) Adeline Dickerson, Sofia Valencia, Kennedee Beals, and Maddison Beals. (not pictured Tessa Gillis)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., April 21, 2022 – FFA members from across the state meet in Columbia, April 21-22, at the 94th Missouri FFA Convention to honor fellow members for outstanding achievements, conduct association business, elect new officers, and participate in leadership workshops.

NOW was the theme for this year’s annual convention, which attracted more than 8,000 students and guests to Hearnes Center on the University of Missouri campus.

According to Missouri FFA Advisor Keith Dietzschold, the state association presented State FFA Degrees to 893 members who, as a result of their agricultural and leadership achievements, have qualified for the state’s highest FFA degree. Also, during the state convention the State Star Farmer, the State Star in Agribusiness, the State Star in Placement, and the State Star in Agriscience were named. In addition, 542 FFA members received awards in 46 agricultural proficiency areas for the development of their supervised agricultural experience program (SAE). The proficiency areas are varied and include production, management, and communications disciplines. SAE programs in Missouri, during the 2020 record year, generated more than $57 million in student income.

FFA members also participated in a number of organization program areas, including career development events such as agricultural sales, floriculture, livestock evaluation, and speaking competitions.

The keynote speaker for the convention was National FFA Secretary Jackson Sylvester, from Felton, Delaware.  He addressed FFA members and guests during the first general session Thursday afternoon and the fifth general session Friday evening.  For his SAE, Sylvester founded and operates the Lake Forest FFA Dairy Lease Program. Sylvester is a full-time welder, fabricator, and machinist.

Sylvester was elected as a national officer in October during the national convention. The six-person national officer team, including Sylvester, collectively will log more than 100,000 miles representing FFA to top leaders in business, government, and education. National officers also lead numerous personal growth and leadership training sessions and promote agricultural literacy.

Seventeen members of the Putnam County FFA chapter attended this year’s convention and competed in various Career Development Events (CDE) and received awards.  The Putnam County FFA chapter had 4 teams competing in CDEs, 2 members receiving state proficiency awards, and had 2  members receive the State FFA Degree.  Those competing and receiving awards were:

Agronomy: Silvia Brown, Adeline Dickerson, Tessa Gillis, and Dylan Hamilton.  They placed 37th and received a group II rating.

Dairy Foods: Cora Hartwig, Sofia Valencia, Kora Bain, and Maddi Beals.  They placed 25th and received a group II rating.  Cora Hartwig received an individual group I medal.

Forestry:  Vanessa Bondy, Chase Simmons, Jude Watt, and Chase Tomlin.  They placed 18th and received a group II rating.

Dairy Cattle:  Brock Munden, Case Preston, Bailey Diveley, and Kooper Hornaday. They placed 14th and received a group I rating.   Brock Munden received an individual group I medal.  

State Proficiency Awards:  Chase Tomlin received a plaque for being an area winner in the Small Animal Production Proficiency and Kennedee Beals received a plaque for being the area winner in the Beef Cattle Placement Proficiency Area.

State Degrees:  Vanessa Bondy and Chase Simmons received their State FFA Degrees which are only received by a small percent of the state membership and are earned by being dedicated to FFA leadership activities and the student’s SAE program.  

The Missouri FFA Association has 25,626 members in 353 chapters. FFA strives to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.  Also attending the convention were FFA advisors Randy Morris and Clyde Bondy.