Exciting spring for Saddle & Sirloin FFA

Tell Tavegie
Chapter Reporter
 
Spring has sprung and that means the FFA is out in full force. The Saddle and Sirloin started the season off by participating in National FFA Week during the last week of February. The chapter hosted a week-long competition on their Facebook page where members of the community would post a picture related to each day and were entered in a drawing. 
Directly following FFA week, the Ag Mechanics team and Vet Science teams headed to Torrington where they competed in their respective State FFA competition. Peyton Crinklaw was high individual overall in the written test portion of the Vet Science Competition! 
Also, during the first week of March the Saddle and Sirloin hosted their local speech contest where Josh Womack and LaKacee Lipp were co-winners in Prepared Speaking, Peyton Crinklaw won Extemporaneous, and Taylor Crinklaw and JJ Lipp were the co-winners in Creed Speaking and all qualified for the district contest. These members swept the competition at districts and qualified for regionals! At regionals, Peyton, Josh, and Taylor all placed third and were alternates for state. 
With the upcoming state FFA convention, Saddle and Sirloin members were busy prepping for the contests at the convention. The chapter sent the Ag Sales team, Poultry Judging team, and Livestock Judging team to state convention. During the convention, proficiency awards were earned by LaKacee Lipp and Brooke Martell, earning Gold in their divisions! Kacy Jones, Peyton Crinklaw, and Hailey Wehri were awarded their State Degrees and Hailey was awarded the State FFA Foundation Scholarship, Regional 3 Star Farmer and was named the State Star Farmer! 
The Ag Sales team was 10th overall out of 25 (Tell Tavegie, Josh Womack, LaKacee Lipp, and Callie Hiser). Livestock was 14th (Hailey Wehri, JJ Lipp, Alyssa Morris, and Rachel Sweet).  The Vet Science Team was 5th overall!(Peyton Crinklaw, JJ Lipp, Taylor Crinklaw, Bailey Benshoof). The Green Hand Quiz Bowl Team was 5th high team overall! (Pate Tavegie, JJ Lipp, Taylor Crinklaw, Jayde Harrington). Poultry team was 16th (Leo Orban, Chris Fullerton, Rilee Lewis, Bailey Benshoof).
After the convention and all the awards, including the Newcastle Saddle and Sirloin being named a Three Star Chapter, members focused on meetings and then Ag Day. During Ag Day members and volunteers from the community along with the Upton FFA put together nine different stations for the fourth-graders from Upton Elementary and Newcastle Elementary. This was an all-day event that was well worth it, to see the smiles on the kids’ faces as they pet the animals, learned about trapping and bees, roped, and shot pellet guns.
The chapter is staying busy with shop projects and wrapping up the year with our Annual Chapter FFA Banquet May 18, where we will celebrate each members accomplishments in the chapter!