Four members of the South O’Brien Chapter compete in the State FFA Ag Mechanics competition at Iowa State University in June. These four students were Josie Brown, Billy Lange, Justice Frerk, and Josh Gnade.
This competition gives students the opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of agriculture mechanics and technology. Some activities include the demonstration of skills, problem-solving, and knowledge application in agricultural machinery equipment, metals/welding, structures, environmental/natural resources, and electrical systems.
The team placed 18th and earned a Silver rating. They all said practices were always fun and filled with laughter but was a good learning experience for them. This was a new competition for all of them so they learned a lot from Mr. Kumm along the way. South O’Brien’s hadn’t had a team compete at state for a few years and there were a couple of changes that the team had to adapt to. Chapter Advisor, Eric Kumm, noted, “They really keep the event moving quickly, so for next year, we’ll have to work on not only completing each part of the competition correctly but also faster.
This was Josie’s last competition of her high school career so she said it was a good experience to top things off for her. They all said the knowledge you gain from this competition will help you drastically, especially in agriculture. Josie said, “FFA gives you the opportunities to grow and learn, you just have to get involved and take advantage of them.”