FREDERICKTOWN — Fredericktown FFA members had a busy March, traveling to Marysville and Ashland CDE invitationals.
Fifteen members traveled to the Marysville invitational on March 7 to compete in the second invitational of the year.
The students represented the chapter across three different Career Development Events (CDEs): General Livestock Judging, Equine Management, and Wildlife Management.
The General Livestock team faced a large field of competition, placing 34th out of 120 participating teams and 551 individuals. In this event, members are tasked with evaluating groups of livestock and ranking them from best to worst based on physical traits. They also participate in a keep-cull class for breeding females and answer specific questions based on their observations.
Lane Dugan led the chapter, placing 28. Other members were Nash Stull (203rd), Kellen Algire (206th), and Allissya Dugan (341st). Austin Robinson, Jordyn Neighbarger, Keith Rogers, and Austin Frazier also competed for the team, while middle-schooler Carson Sanchez placed 38th out of 93 in the middle school division.
In the Equine Management contest, members were tested on their ability to judge halter and performance classes, identify tack equipment, and evaluate hay quality. The “small but mighty” Fredericktown team finished 33rd out of 54 schools.
Individually, Reagan Blanchard took 84th place, and Lily Hambleton followed in 91st.
Rounding out the event, Izzy Broerman acted as a one-person team for the Wildlife Management CDE. This event requires a deep knowledge of Ohio wildlife species and the ability to solve conservation-related problems.
Broerman’s performance earned the team 27th place overall, with an individual ranking of 53rd.
Ashland invitational
The chapter continued its momentum on March 21, sending 15 members to the Ashland invitational to compete in the General Livestock and Wildlife Management CDEs.
The General Livestock team had a standout day, securing a Top 10 finish by placing ninth out of 53 competing teams. Individual participants totaled 208.
Leading the way for the seven-member team was Lane Dugan in 22nd place, followed by Allissya Dugan (54th), Robinson (63rd), and Ella Bouton (72nd). Sanchez represented the middle school, finishing 26th in the livestock contest.
In the Wildlife Management division, the chapter’s middle school students delivered a dominant performance, claiming second place.
Kyle Russell won the contest as the first place individual; Braylen Stone took third place.
Chapter members are looking forward to seeing how each CDE’s season ends and the final placings they receive at the State Final Events.
To follow along with any CDE during the year, official scoring and updates are available at JudgingCard.com. Select the State of Ohio to see the latest results from all FFA contests.