The Warsaw FFA chapter recently competed in the District 2 FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Proficiency Application competition.
It was held Feb. 7 at Argos Jr.-Sr. High School, Argos. Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through supervised agricultural experiences, have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers, according to a news release from Warsaw Community Schools.
For their Supervised Agriculture Experience proficiency applications, Warsaw FFA members have received awards in the following categories:
• First place Rylan Cooper: Agricultural Services - Placement. Cooper works for an agricultural business whose primary activity includes crop scouting, implementing integrated pest management programs and soil/crop testing.
• First place Dylan Hurd: Wildlife Production and Management - Placement. Hurd volunteers for a regional non-profit that prides itself on the improvement of the wolf species, habitats and wolf nutrition. He also assists with other wild animals such as bison, fox and coyotes while volunteering.
• First place Oliver Nisen: Dairy Production - Entrepreneurship. Nisen owns a cattle dairy enterprise and applies the best management practices available to efficiently produce and market dairy cattle, including the raising of breeding animals for dairy purposes and raw dairy cattle products.
• First place Kaytlin Skeans: Veterinary Science - Placement. Skeans works for a local veterinary clinic performing duties related to the health and welfare of small animals at the facility. She also explores activities related to clinical practice and management of business aspects of a veterinary practice.
• Second place Cale Wise: Small Animal Production and Care - Entrepreneurship. Cale owns a rabbit enterprise that includes the best management practices available that efficiently produces and markets show rabbits along with care of the animals.
Entrepreneurship Supervised Agricultural Experiences relate to the ownership of an agribusiness or agriculture-related enterprise. The member plans, implements, operates and assumes financial risks of ownership. Placement Supervised Agricultural Experiences include non-ownership, agriculturally- related paid or unpaid employment and/or volunteer work.
First-place proficiency applications will move on to compete at the FFA state level with category winners announced at the Indiana FFA State Convention in June.