The National FFA Convention (Future Farmers of America), held annually in Indianapolis, is one of the largest and most significant events in the field of agricultural education. It serves as a gathering place for thousands of FFA members across the United States.
Eaton had a team and individual qualification for the convention where Nations were held for the competitions. Chloe Stevens (24), Shae Stone (24), Tayla Weidmen (24), and Addison Hodgson(26) made up the team that qualified for their dairy cattle evaluation. Tegan Joseph a 2023 graduate from Eaton High School is currently the State President of FFA and competed in nationals for her Employment Skills.
Chloe Stevens (24) said, “My biggest takeaway from convention was trying new things can be rewarding and fun. I also learned if you work hard you can do anything you set your mind to.”
The Dairy team performed amazingly this year by taking in a second-place award. Dairy cattle evaluation teams in competitions are expected to have a deep understanding of various aspects of dairy cattle and the ability to assess and rank animals based on specific criteria. Eaton successfully demonstrated their skills this year by winning their state competition and taking second at nationals.
Joseph also had an excellent national performance by placing 13th in the Employment skills. Employment skills are designed to assess and showcase the professional and practical skills of FFA members that are relevant to careers in agriculture and related fields. Participants are evaluated on various skills like interview skills, problem-solving, time management, and other real-life skills that are necessary for participants to succeed in future jobs. Joseph demonstrated all of these quarters and had an outstanding performance at nationals.
Eaton High School Principal Jessica Grable said, “It was definitely very cool to see what we try to transfer and apply to students in school and then being able to apply it in a competition. They were able to apply these skills to real life scenarios.”
The National FFA Convention in Indianapolis was a memorable event for Eaton High School, where their dairy judging team secured second place and their co-president excelled in employment skills, clinching the 13th position. Eaton had great success at this convention and looks to continue their strong FFA program and hopes to have many more students participate in the National FFA convention for years to come.
