Elma FFA was crowned state FFA Poultry Science Champion at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup on Saturday, Sept. 16. Students evaluated a variety of consumer based poultry products and utilized knowledge as food science and consumer science inspectors.
Elma FFA took five of the top ten individual placings with Hannah Hartley placing first, Mickey Velasco second, Aaron Bultman third, Florencio Ramirez-Ramirez fifth, and Kilian Acuff seventh. Hartley, Bultman, Ramirez and Acuff will compete at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Oct. 22-28.
“Winning poultry is such an achievement for our team because we’ve worked hard for so long to win. I couldn’t be more proud of my teammates for sticking with it through the good times and the tough times,” said Hannah Hartley, Elma FFA president. “Now onto nationals to hopefully bring home some more hardware and have a great experience.”
The poultry team will join the state champion agricultural communications team which earned their national berth in May at the State FFA Convention in Pullman. Velasco, along with Abigail Spoonhoward, Shayla Kelly, and Mikhaela Nelson will compete at the national level showcasing their oral and written communication skills through social media practicums, portfolio presentation and editing tests.
Elma FFA also was awarded the Three-Star National Chapter rating in July and will be recognized on the national stage at the National FFA Convention. Elma is one of seven chapters in Washington to receive the highest honor for their chapter accomplishments at the national level.
The American Degree honors will be bestowed on two Elma FFA graduates, Wyatt Gray and Paige Kershaw. They represent two of the 39 recipients from Washington State. The American FFA Degree is bestowed upon a select group of students in recognition of their years of academic and professional excellence. The award recognizes demonstrated ability and outstanding achievements in agricultural business, production, processing or service programs.
Advisers Christi Kershaw, Emily Wamsley and Katie Macy will travel with the students.
