Columbia FFA Grasslands team finishes first at National Competition

Rory James, Joe Ege, Kassie Rankin and Asa Linneman




 

Congratulations to Columbia FFA Grasslands team for finishing first at the 16th Annual Mid-America Grasslands Evaluation Contest held in Springfield, Missouri, June 2-3, 2015. This highly competitive event which teaches integrated use and management of grassland resources is sponsored by the Missouri Forage and Grassland Council in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation, University of Missouri Extension and the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The event begins with a practice contest, allowing the students to work through the various stations-soil interpretation, plant identification, wildlife habitat,  grassland condition and plant identification to get a feel for the test and ask questions.

The actual contest occurs the following day at a designated location. After competing, each section of the contest is reviewed on site with the announcement of the final placing made official at the awards banquet that evening.

Besides placing first overall as a team, three individuals also placed in the top three spots with their individual scores:

1st place individual-Rory James
2nd place individual-Joe Ege
3rd place individual- Kassie Rankin

The team is coached by Ag Instructor, Meridith Haley.