Horse Evaluation Team Places Third at 8th Annual John Deere Ag Expo in Bozeman
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Among the Chinook FFA members who attended the John Deere Ag Expo in Bozeman last week were Austin Swanson, Patrick McMaster, Bree Swanson, Rebecca Stroh, Rielly Weigand, Alyssa Gruszie, Saige Olmstead, Kurtis Hamilton, Ethan Liddle, Brittney Cox, Shyla Benzing, and Shane Friede.
After attending the 8th Annual John Deere Ag Expo in Bozeman, the Chinook Chapter of the FFA came home with a third place win in the Horse Evaluation competition.
The event was held November 14-16 at the Strand Union Building on the campus of Montana State University-Bozeman. Twenty-three different contests were conducted at the John Deere Ag Expo, including parliamentary procedure, livestock evaluation, mechanics, sales, and food science. Event organizers reported using over 400 volunteers to help judge the contests in which nearly 1,600 FFA members from across Montana competed.
The largest Montana FFA event of the year and one of the largest livestock evaluation contests in the Northwest, the John Deere Ag Expo is the result of a partnership between the university, Montana John Deere dealers, and the Montana FFA Foundation. Supporting 99 FFA chapters within the state and representing over 5,100 members, the Foundation's mission is to cultivate partnerships, promote awareness, and secure resources to enhance agricultural education and opportunities for students.
According to FFA Advisor Robin Allen, all of the Chinook FFA members attended a leadership conference that kicked off the Expo on Thursday morning. Following that, they competed in various contests, either as teams or individuals:
• Employment Skills: Bree Swanson, Saige Olmstead, and Rebecca Stroh
• Farm Agribusiness Management: Austin Swanson, Patrick McMaster, and Shane Friede
• Ag Sales: Kurtis Hamilton
• Ag Mechanics: Austin Swanson, Patrick McMaster, Ethan Liddle, Kurtis Hamilton, and Shane Friede
• Agronomy: Shyla Benzing
• Meats Evaluation: Alyssa Gruszie and Rielly Weigand
• Poultry Evaluation: Rebecca Stroh
• Junior Horse Evaluation and Junior Livestock Evaluation: Bree Swanson
• Senior Horse Evaluation: Rebecca Stroh, Saige Olmstead, Rielly Weigand, Brittney Cox, and Shyla Benzing
• Senior Parliamentary Procedure: Rielly Weigand, Rebecca Stroh, Alyssa Gruszie, Kurtis Hamilton, Austin Swanson, and Ethan Liddle
• Senior Quiz Bowl: Alyssa Gruszie, Patrick McMaster, and Ethan Liddle
• Senior Livestock Evaluation: Saige Olmstead, Rielly Weigand, Brittney Cox, Shane Friede, and Shyla Benzing
Competition ended on Saturday with an Awards Ceremony at 2:00 p.m. At that ceremony, the Horse Evaluation team comprised of Rebecca Stroh, Saige Olmstead, Rielly Weigand, Brittney Cox, and Shyla Benzing received recognition for placing third.
Those who participated in the Horse Evaluation contest gained new insights into equine science. The Chinook team was required to compete in two halter classes and defend their decisions through oral reasons in front of a panel of judges. That was followed by two riding classes and one set of reasons. One of the riding classes was English (hunter under saddle) and one Western (horsemanship and reining). A written test invited the team to solve problems related to everything from the nutrition and reproduction of horses to the tack/equipment and feed used to care for them.
Participants strengthened their observation, analysis, critical thinking, and communication skills while also developing and exercising a competitive team spirit and building an awareness of career opportunities within the equine industry.
Of her members, Allen said: "These students are building their experiences in the field of agriculture, and I'm proud of their progress."
