Seniors Emily Thompson and Rebecca Metz captured top honors and Tracy High’s FFA chapter received recognition at the Future Farmers of America (FFA) convention in Fresno on April 12-15.

Thompson won State Star Finalist in Agri-business and will be moving on to the national competition. Metz won a $1000 state scholarship, was a state finalist, and placed third in the state for Fiber and Oil Crop Production.

“It is awesome that I got placed into the national competition, it is going to be an amazing experience,” Thompson said.

“I am very proud of Emily and Rebecca, they truly put in their best efforts at the competition to achieve their goals,” Nikki Maddux, Ag. teacher and FFA adviser, said.

“I worked very hard for this position, and I am glad it all paid off,” Metz said. “It is not about developing every student into agriculturists, but rather developing free thinking, confident individuals who are educated and appreciate agriculture’s impact on their daily lives.”

“Members were able to learn that we are all part of something greater than ourselves and our chapter,” Maddux said. “The most important part of FFA is how connected a student feels to the chapter and programs as well as we all participate in events that teach us to work together for a common goal.”

Students participated in Career Development Experience contests that took place at colleges that have agriculture departments in California. The state competition took place at the Downtown Fresno Convention Center.

“State convention is the finale of a year’s worth of work by the chapter and its members. For some students being recognized at the state level is a culmination of the effort and hard work put into a project or competition for four years,” Hunter Andrade, Tracy High FFA chapter president, said.

Andrade said that the most important attributes that a student should have to be a part of FFA are passion, work ethic, and dedication.

“In FFA, students are actively participating in the changing world, because of this, every student can find a place here with us,” Thompson said.

The Livestock Judging Team was fifth highest team at UC Davis, twelfth place team at CSU Chico, CSU Fresno, Modesto Junior College, and fifteenth at Merced College.

FFA tests the students’ knowledge in various categories. Some these categories include accurate observations of livestock, determining desirable traits in animals, making logical decisions based on those observations, and discussing their decisions.

The Veterinary Science Skills Team placed ninth out of 28 teams competing at UC Davis, CSU Chico, and Clovis Invitational.

The Farm Power Team and BIG Team each placed in the top 25 in their contests. The Farm Power team tests mechanical skills and abilities relating to power equipment associated with agriculture. It is for students who want a career as an equipment technician.

The main purpose of the BIG Team is to understand the structure of local, state, and national FFA student organizations.

Tracy High had 12 students who participated in the state competition: Andrade, Matt Bongivanni, Callie Breuderlie, Jessica Brown, Caitlyn Bruzdzinski, Shelby Coggins, Kylie Costa, Metz, Maddison Rose, Amanda Simonich, Thompson, and Amber Westfall.

“I am very proud of this year’s team, they put in their best efforts,” Maddux said.

In addition, the Tracy High FFA team was given the National Chapter Award, State Superior Chapter Award, and the Ag in the Community Award.

“The goal of this program is that each student gain valuable information education on the impact of agriculture in California, in the nation and on the world,” Andrade said. “The activities done outside the classroom develop leadership skills that give students the direction they need to find their own voice and have the ability to defend their ideas and beliefs.”

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Livestock Team