(PRESS RELEASE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
INGRID HOFFMAN … Placed 3rd in Division 5 Social Systems and receives a $500 scholarship.
AMERICAN DEGREES …. Ian Hoffman and Matthew Wyse receive their American FFA Degrees, which less than 1% of FFA members earn.
By: Zakkary Cammack
Millcreek-West Unity FFA Reporter
This year the Millcreek-West Unity FFA Chapter attended the 97th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana from October 23rd to the 26th.
The National Convention group of: Alex Cox, Levi Cox, Coleton Ebersole, Reese Eisel, Zia Siegel, Brayden Talbott, and Miss Frey, started their day on Wednesday, October 23rd, by visiting Total Seed Production in Tipton, IN. The group learned that Total Seed Production grows, packages, and stores seed for seed companies.
They started with a 5-acre grant from Purdue University and have grown into a company that ships seed from the west to the east coast and internationally.
The tour included showing and explaining the growing, harvesting, drying, sorting, chemical coating, bagging, and storage processes.
The group then traveled back to Indianapolis, IN and attended the 1st General Session of the 97th National FFA Convention at Lucas Oil Stadium, where they heard from guest speaker and comedian Kevin Wanzer.
That evening they finished the evening by singing along with Nate Smith and Megan Moroney a concert sponsored by Culvers.
On Thursday, October 24th, the group was joined by Ingrid Hoffman, Joscelyn Layman, and Addison Smith and their families. Ingrid, Joscelyn, and Addison were named top 10 in the nation for National Agriscience Fair and their award sessions were on Thursday.
The day began at the FFA Expo and Shopping Mall, while Ingrid spoke with industry professionals and FFA supporters about her research project.
For lunch, the group was treated to Fogo de Chao, an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse. After lunch it was Joscelyn and Addison’s turns to interact with industry professionals and convention guests as they discussed their Agriscience research projects at the Research Exposition.
JOSCELYN LAYMAN … Placed 2nd in Division 5 Food Products and Processing Systems and receives a $750 scholarship.
At 2:00 PM, during Session 2 of the National FFA Convention, Ingrid Hoffman found out her final placing for her Agriscience Fair project; 3rd Place Division 5 Social Systems! Her project title was “Preferences of Gluten-Free Pie Crust Flours” and she earned a scholarship for $500.
At 7:00PM, during Session 3 of the National FFA Convention, Joscelyn Layman and Addison Smith learned their final placings for their Agriscience Fair projects.
Addison Smith placed 1st in Division 1 Food Products and Processing Systems with her project: “The Effects of Gluten and Gluten-Free Flours on the Rise of Chocolate Chip Cookies.” She earned a scholarship for $1000!
Joscelyn Layman placed 2nd in Division 5 Food Products and Processing Systems with her project: “Evaluating Meat Quality of Gallus gallus domesticus After Treating with FlockLeader.” She earned a scholarship for $750!
The group celebrated the hard work, dedication to the projects, and the utilization of the scientific as these FFA members accomplished a first for the Millcreek-West Unity FFA Chapter!
On Friday, October 25th, the National FFA Convention attendees woke up at 5:30am to attend the 4th General Session of the National Convention.
During the session they listened to Southern Region Vice President, Carter Howell, give his retiring address, encouraging FFA members to slow down and be honest with themselves.
They then had the honor of hearing from guest speaker Temple Grandin, Colorado State University Professor of Animal Science and Autism Advocate, speak about the need for ALL types of thinkers and the need for hands-on classes.
One of our FFA members, Joscelyn Layman (who used some of Dr. Grandin’s theories in her Agriscience Research), was able to meet and speak with Dr. Grandin during a meet-and-greet session!
After the session, the group visited Fairoaks Farms in Fair Oaks, IN, where they learned about dairy cow production and care, in addition to swine production and care.
There, they were able to see the production methods for housing and managing over 36,000 head of dairy cows and 2,800 sows.
ADDISON SMITH … Placed 1st in Division 1 Food Products and Processing Systems and receives a $1000 scholarship.
During the tour there were many interactive opportunities where the group was able to learn in more detail about the care and management that goes into raising livestock on a large scale.
That evening they finished the day at Topgolf, where members were able to relax and spend time in casual conversation.
Saturday, October 26th, was another 5:30 AM start for the chapter. Millcreek-West Unity graduates, Ian Hoffman and Matthew Wyse, were able to have their FFA journeys came full circle as they were two of the 4,800 FFA members to receive their American FFA Degree.
This prestigious degree is awarded to less than 1% of the over 1,000,000 members from across all 50 states and 2 territories. Their hard work, dedication to their Supervised Agricultural Experience program, and community involvement since becoming FFA members in their 8th grade year led them to earn this honorable degree.
The celebration of Ian and Matthew receiving their American Degrees was a great way to wrap up an excellent FFA Convention for the Millcreek-West Unity FFA Chapter!