Little Switzerland FFA Agronomy team brings home State Champion Honors ...

Four individuals of the Little Switzerland FFA Chapter from Waukon High School competed in the Agronomy career development event (CDE) at both the District and State levels earlier this summer. The team included members (left to right in the submitted photo above) Sarah Stock, Kendra Gibbs, Caleb Helgerson and Olivia Marti. May 13, the team competed at the Northeast Iowa District Contest held at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo and was named the Reserve Champion Team. In the final individual standings, Olivia Marti placed 2nd, Sarah Stock placed 5th, Kendra Gibbs placed 12th, and Caleb Helgerson placed 16th.

Following their district success, the team competed at the State Contest June 6 held at the Iowa State University campus in Ames. A total of 101 members and 28 chapters from across the state of Iowa participated in the State event. The team excelled, earning State Champion Honors, with Olivia Marti receiving Reserve Champion individual honors, Caleb Helgerson placing 3rd individually, Sarah Stock placing 4th individually, and Kendra Gibbs finishing 12th individually. Within the different competition categories, the team also placed 1st in deficiencies, diseases, insects, and defects identification; 3rd in seed, crops, weed, and equipment identification; 1st in the General Knowledge exam; and 3rd in the team activity. The team will represent the Iowa FFA Organization this October at the 2024 National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis, IN. Written by Ethan Gibbs, Chapter Reporter.