FFA students in Cheyenne at State Convention

Eighteen students from the Thermopolis FFA Chapter are in Laramie and Cheyenne this week to participate in the 2015 Wyoming State FFA Convention.

The State FFA Convention is the culminating event for the Wyoming FFA, complete with awards, competitions and leadership development events.  With more than 1,500 FFA members from across the state in attendance, it is one of the largest youth conferences in Wyoming.

Thermopolis students will be competing in meats evaluation, livestock evaluation, agricultural sales, and farm business management career development events (CDE).

Thermopolis FFA advisor Britton Van Heule said all the events are challenging, but the farm business management CDE takes the cake.

“It’s a three-hour test,” Van Heule said. “I’ve had kids tell me it’s harder than the ACT.”

Thermopolis students will also participate in the Greenhand Quiz Bowl, and will have a Wyoming State Booth.

Van Heule said every chapter can put together a State Booth, and whichever chapter has the best booth is taken to the National FFA Convention.

Additionally, students who received state FFA Degrees will be honored. Tyelynn Myers, Sasha Bleak and Choc Maddock received state degrees.

The following students will be representing Thermopolis FFA at the convention:

Emmie Coyne, Tyne Vilapando, Kaitlyn Schmuck and Sasha Bleak will be doing the agricultural sales competition; Keegan Waller, Logan Barthalamew, Sasha Bleak, Clare Denney and Ryan Bleak will be competing in the meats evaluation; Dreama Thorpe, Jessie Pennoyer, Taylor Nuttall and Katelyn King will be doing the livestock evaluation; Tyelynn Myers, Liz Rhodes, Taylor Nuttall and Clare Denney will be doing the Farm Business Management test; Rebecca Clouse, Kaitlyn Schmuck, Keegan Waller and Clare Denney will be competing for a Environmental and Natural Resources win; Tyne Vilapando, Emmie Coyne, Rebecca Clouse and Kaitlyn Schmuck will compete in the Greenhand Quiz Bowl.

Results from the event, along with updates, can be found on the Wyoming FFA Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/wyomingffaassociation. People can also follow the convention on Twitter using @WyomingFFA or on Instagram using @Wyffa.