two girls standing in front of a barn
Raegan Blanchard, left, and Lily Hambleton participated in the equine management competition at the Mount Gilead CDE Invitational held Feb. 11, 2026. Credit: Fredericktown FFA

FREDERICKTOWN —The Fredricktown FFA chapter sent 15 members to Mount Gilead to participate in various Career Development Events (CDEs) on Feb. 21.

Events included General Livestock Judging, Equine Management, and Wildlife Management. All teams showed a strong start for this first invitational of the year.

In Equine Management, members judge performance and halter classes, assess hay quality, and identify tack types. Fredericktown FFA’s “small but mighty” team placed 16th out of 26 teams.

Raegan Blanchard led the charge with a 16th-place finish out of 82 individuals, followed by Lilly Hambleton at 51st.

General livestock and wildlife management

In the General Livestock CDE, members must analyze groups of livestock and place them from the best in the class to the worst. They take notes on the animals and participate in a keep-cull class where they choose which females to retain based on physical characteristics and age.

From left, Nash Stull, Austin Robinson, CJ Dickerson, Kendal Grubb, Kellen Algire, Jordyn Neighbarger, Gage Robinson, Allissya Dugan, Lane Dugan, and Austin Frazier participated in livestock judging. Credit: Fredericktown FFA

Participants also answer questions based on their notes from four specific classes.

The team secured a 25th-place finish out of 55 competing teams.

Team leaders included Allissya Dugan (79th), Kellen Algire (127th), Lane Dugan (137th), and Jordyn Neighbarger (138th) participating as individuals. Other members who participated include Kendal Grubb, Nash Stull, Austin Frazier, Austin Robinson, Carl Dickerson, and Gage Robinson.

The Wildlife Management CDE requires students to identify different Ohio wildlife
species and solve economic problems related to conservation. The Fredricktown team of three middle school students placed sixth out of 14.

From left, Braylen Stone, Kyle Russell, and Emberly Hines participated in the wildlife competition. Credit: Fredericktown FFA

Individual results include Kyle Russell placing 11th out of 44 individuals, Braylen Stone placing 22nd, and Emberly Hines placing 43rd.

For those interested in following the results of the Fredricktown FFA and all other chapters across the state throughout the year, official scoring can be found at JudgingCard.com. By selecting the State of Ohio, the public can view the latest updates for all FFA contests.