Courtesy photos.
SANTA MARIA — Two Santa Maria High School FFA Judging Teams earned gold rankings at the National FFA Career Development Event Finals.
The Milk Quality and Dairy Products Team placed 3rd in the Nation, while the Poultry Evaluation Team placed 8th.
Winners of both Career Development Events (CDE) were announced Friday at the annual awards banquet in conjunction with the 92nd National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis.
The Milk Quality and Dairy Products Team is coached by Mr. Mark Powell and consisted of seniors Stephanie Corona and Ivan Carranza, and juniors Monica Novoa and Odalys Martinez. All team members also received Gold Individual Rankings.
The National FFA Milk Quality and Dairy Products CDE is a competitive event that allows students to prove their knowledge about the recognition, selection and management necessary for quality milk and dairy products, according to Saint Agriculture Teacher Amanda Rodriguez. Participants must complete a written exam on milk production and marketing, evaluate milk samples for flavor and quality, identify cheeses and characteristics and complete milk acceptability tests in the team activity, she added.
The Poultry Evaluation Team is coached by Mrs. Rodriguez and consisted of Graduate students Samantha Lopez, Salvador Mendoza, Nayeli Lazaro, and Jose Soto. Samantha and Salvador received Gold Individual Rankings, while Nayeli and Jose received Silver.
The National Poultry Evaluation CDE seeks to effectively prepare students for jobs in the poultry workforce. The contest blends practical hands-on experiences with a basic knowledge of the poultry industry required for careers in the poultry field. Participants in the Poultry CDE select live meat-type chickens for broiler breeding, evaluate and place live egg-type hens, and rate the finished product by evaluating and grading ready-to-cook carcasses and parts of chickens and turkeys.
Both Santa Maria FFA teams competed at local and state levels to earn the privilege to represent California at the National FFA Convention & Expo.
Senior Stephanie Corona said, “I am extremely proud of my team and our accomplishments on making it to the National level and placing in the top 3 for Milk Quality and Dairy Products. This proves that many hours of hard work and studying pays off.”
Graduate Samantha Lopez also stated, “It was an honor to represent Santa Maria FFA and California FFA at the National Poultry Evaluation Contest. Participating in this contest for four years, I really feel that I have come full circle with my judging career.”
These two events, held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, are just a few of many educational activities at the National Convention in which FFA members apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations,’’ Rodriguez added.