Coweta FFA members Taylor Goeppinger, Madison Goeppinger, Alyssa Dunfield and James Waller were in Indianapolis, Ind., last week to compete for national honors in poultry evaluation at the 91st National FFA Convention and Expo.
Poultry evaluation is one of 25 career/leadership development events that cover skills in everything from communications to mechanics.
Out of 39 teams competing on the national stage, Coweta FFA finished in fourth place. Taylor Goeppinger earned a 12th high individual placing as well.
The Coweta teens evaluated production, processing and merchandising phases of the poultry industry and identified various industry components. They also tested on the application of sound management practices. The Goeppingers, Dunfield and Waller evaluated live birds, presented oral reasons and placed a class of ready-to-cook broilers.
In the processing and merchandising phase, the Coweta FFAers selected and graded ready-to-cook turkeys, processed products and cartons of eggs.
“These students brought pride and honor to the FFA program,” said Coweta FFA Advisor Travis O’Dell. “Coweta was the first team at the National Contest to answer all 19 questions correctly during the team activity portion of the test. This speaks to what type of education they receive – one of teaching students critical thinking skills and teamwork.”
Contest organizers say CDEs and LDEs help students develop the abilities to think critically, communicate clearly and perform effective in a competitive market.
Photo: Coweta FFA Advisor Travis O’Dell, left, with members of his award winning poultry judging team at the 91st National FFA Convention and Expo. Earning a fourth place finish in the 2018 National Poultry Judging Contest were, from center left, Taylor Goeppinger, Alyssa Dunfield, Madison Goeppinger and James Waller. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS O’DELL
Source: tulsaworld.com
