Greenwich FFA Nationally Ranked
Indianapolis, IN - Members of the Greenwich FFA made history last month at the 96th National FFA Convention. The chapter’s Dairy Cattle Evaluation Team placed 11th in the nation while competing at the event. Team members Serena Drost and Caroline Kelly earned gold individual placings, recognizing them as being in the top 40 individuals in the country. Team members Allison Chuhta and Allison Michel earned silver placings for being in the top 90 individuals nationally.
Our team members have been preparing since June. Members were responsible for taking a general knowledge exam about dairy cow health, reproduction, nutrition, food safety, applicable laws and regulations, and the dairy industry as a whole. Team members also learned to evaluate dairy herd records for milk production and herd reproduction values. The team was given a summary of an existing dairy operation and asked to evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and present an implementation plan for improved productivity to a panel of judges. Lastly, members evaluated six classes of dairy cattle and presented oral reasons defending their selection of the most sound cattle in each group.
The team was crowned State Champions at the NYS fair in August after spending the summer evaluating dairy cattle at local farms. The team is grateful for the support of countless individuals, local companies, and local farm owners.
Financial support for the trip was raised through the Sandy Quinn Inspirational Fund and donations from Cargill, Capital Tractor Inc., Farm Credit East, United Ag and Turf, and a golf tournament hosted by Wallie’s of Greenwich.
The team would also like to thank Anissa Anuszewski, Margaret Brownell, Julia Houser of Brotherhood Farm, Scott Michel and Andy Brizzell of Hickory Hill Dairy, the Liddle family of Liddleholm Farm, the Rowland family of Ro Acres Farm, and Brian Ziehm and Mike Schreiner of Tiashoke Farm. The team gained extensive knowledge as a result of these individuals, coupled with the dedication of coaches Mike McClay and Chris Kelly.
