MUSCATINE, Iowa–In mid May, Muscatine FFA students traveled to the State FFA Convention in Ames to compete in a variety of contests. This year, several students came home with high honors, with junior Avery Schroeder earning first place in radio broadcasting, team ag sales earning reserve state champion status, poultry judging earning a seventh high gold, and senior Bob Carver earning a silver ranking for extemporaneous speaking.
Though the radio broadcasting state contest followed the same rules as the subdistrict and district contest did, with students having 30 minutes to create a broadcast from provided articles and commercials they wrote themselves, Avery still felt a little anxious about it. Still, her many hours of practice shone through, earning her the state championship. “I was nervous coming out of my broadcast because I felt I could have done better, but the judges liked my enthusiasm and thought I was very entertaining,” she shared. Though the state contest represents the final contest for radio broadcasting, Avery hopes to compete in other contests next year and possibly attend the national convention.
For team ag sales, students both did an individual sales pitch to a judge and completed an individual test, as well as giving a team presentation where they pitched their assigned product, in this case, the Stihl FSA 90 R Trimmer, and explained the rationale behind their sales strategy. Dakota Dahlke, a junior, shared that he felt excited that the team earned a reserve state championship. “I was surprised with how well we did,” he said. “For my first year doing a very big competition, I think we did well.”
Muscatine FFA students at the FFA State Convention in Ames. Photo courtesy Muscatine FFA.
Bob, a longtime FFA member, thoroughly liked competing in extemporaneous speaking, where students had 30 minutes to formulate a response to the prompt they received. In Bob’s case, he spoke about the implications of Mexico banning genetically modified corn in response to a question asking what international conflict has had the largest impact on American agriculture. “I’m pretty happy with how I did-I would give the same speech again,” he reflected. Bob plans on taking the interest in agriculture he developed through FFA with him as he studies biochemistry with a focus on agriculture and life science at Iowa State University, which he intends will lead to a career as a fertilizer chemist or genetic engineer.
Outside of the contests, students who attended the State FFA Convention participated in other activities, such as attending business sessions and receiving various awards. Senior Emily King earned her Iowa Degree, which honored her for her work on her family’s farm, Jon King Farms, as well as her volunteering at the Ag Learning Center. “it’s the highest degree you can earn from the state,” she explained, adding, “It’s a nice thing to say I have.” After graduating, Emily will continue her agricultural work by attending Iowa State University to study agribusiness with a minor in agronomy with plans to later become an agronomist.
