Morgantown (October, 5 2023) – The South Harrison FFA Livestock Team competed in the State Livestock Evaluation Competition at West Virginia University’s Animal Science Research, Education, and Outreach Center on Thursday. The West Virginia FFA Livestock Evaluation Career Development Event is conducted to promote career interest, encourage proficiency development, and recognize excellence in participants of the event which includes making accurate and logical observations of livestock, deciding on the desirable traits in marketing and breeding livestock, and selecting and marketing livestock that will satisfy consumer demands and provide increased economic returns to producers.
During the competition, students ranked breeding and market classes of beef, sheep, and swine, took a written exam, and gave oral reasons to justify their decisions. South Harrison FFA member, Hope Woods, received high honors and was the high individual in sheep and oral reasons, while also scoring 3rd in cattle. Her team member, Spencer Nolan, placed 2nd individually, tying for high individual in swine, and placing 4th in cattle. For South Harrison, Emma Hitt was 6th individually and scored 3rd individually in sheep. Alivia Baker rounded out the team, tying with Nolan for high individual in swine and placing 4th individually in oral reasons. Team honors include earning the state champion title, and placing first in the swine, sheep, and cattle classes. The team also had the highest oral reasons score in the competition. South Harrison’s Livestock Evaluation Team with represent West Virginia at the National Contest in Indianapolis, Indiana next Fall. They will be the first team from Harrison County to do so in over 70 years.
Along with the Livestock Team, South Harrison FFA saw great success with their Nursery/Landscape Team. This team competed at the West Virginia University Evansdale Greenhouses in the Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event which includes all aspects of the industry to produce, market, utilize, and maintain landscape plants, as well as related production and landscaping products, equipment and service design. South Harrison FFA earned 2nd place in the competition, with members Keith Linger earning 2nd place individually, followed with Elissa Amstone in 8th, Mahaliegh Mearns in 10th, and Reyna Headley in 11th place.
South Harrison FFA also had members competing in the Poultry Evaluation CDE, in which members selected live meat-type chickens for broiler breeding, evaluated and placed live egg-type hens, and rated the finished products by evaluating and grading ready-to-cook carcasses and parts of chickens and turkeys. Elena Medina was 10th individually in the competition. Other team members include Nevaeh Hayhurst and Delainey Lowther.