Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Kimball FFA officers Monica Wasielewski, left, and Kailey Dickerson discuss the events of the day and the schedule prior to the District Livestock evaluation contest.
Local FFA members Hannah Marks, left, Heidi Clark and Tristen Cook prepare for the district livestock evaluation competition held in Kimball on March 2.
The Kimball High School FFA Chapter receives support from many organizations, businesses and citizens throughout the year. Without this support the chapter would be hard pressed to host a district competition such as the livestock and meats evaluations. Pictured here is one of many local supporter, Justin Perry, a local producer and Kimball FFA Alumni member. Perry and other area producers provide the livestock for judging, transport the livestock to the fairgrounds for the competition and supervise the event, offering support in numerous ways.
The Kimball High School FFA members spent their "day off" from school, Wed., Mar. 3 – working hard at a Career Development Event (CDE) held at the Kimball Banner County fairgrounds and at the high school.
The Kimball chapter hosted more than 300 FFA members from 16 schools for six FFA State qualifying contests in which local members also competed.
More than a dozen of the Kimball alumni chapter members and other local supporters of the event lent their time and energy in such things as livestock evaluation and meats evaluation, and arranged the livestock for the contests – in order to help the event be successful.
For the last 17 years FFA worked with its sponsors to offer opportunities to local chapters and students that offer a chance to develop career connections through CDEs that would be mutually beneficial to both student and the American workforce, according to the National FFA Organization.
Since the first dealer program launched the number of local business and dollars have increased immeasurably and has had a great impact on individual members, as well as, the FFA chapters in all 50 states.
There are a total of twenty-four CDEs in FFA. Each activity helps the students work on developing job skills in everything from communications to mechanics.
Some events allow students to compete as individuals, while others allow them to compete in teams. The team format consists of three participants per team whose scores are tallied for a team total.
Agricultural retailers and seed growers are just a few of the local business types that contribute time and resources to offer money for scholarships, grants and blue jackets.
During the Meats Evaluation and Technology CDE students evaluate beef carcasses for quality and yield grade; identify various meat cuts and place carcasses, and identify wholesale and/or retail cuts, all skills needed for careers in the meat animal industry.
The meat for the meats evaluation contest is all brought in by Harold Fricke and courtesy of Kimball's Main Street Market. Four other contests were hosted and planned by the FFA Advisors from our district.
Kimball Public Schools and the Kimball Ag Society offered the FFA organization the facilities to host the event.
"This is truly a group effort to make this event happen," Ag and FFA Advisor, Sally Wheeler said. "We could not host this contest without the amazing support of this community and we appreciate all the time and effort everyone contributes to make this a successful event."
Wheeler wants to remind the public that March 11 is the labor auction for the local FFA chapter, and April 8-10 is State Convention in Lincoln.
The local chapter will conduct officer interviews on April 18 in the Kimball High School library, host the annual banquet at the high school on May 7 and May 25-26 the new officer team will be attending COLT (officer leadership training) in Aurora.
See page A8 for photos.
