In search of a ticket to state and serious competition, Silver Lake FFA traveled to Kearney, Nebraska on November 6 for fall CDE’s. The Mustangs spent a great amount of time studying and preparing for this event. Freshmen Samantha Bonifas, Kassi Jones, Brooklyn Meyer, Reagan Rust, and Georgi tenBensel, along with sophomore Katelyn Karr participated in junior livestock judging. Sophomores Tyler Cumpston, Trista Hanson, and Brock Karr teamed up with junior Derek Zubrod to compete in biotechnology. In the junior high division, Taylor Hanson, Lana Swanson, Morgan Dinkler, Sydney Bartels, Maddie Karr, Ashley Bonifas, Keaton Karr, Casey Conway, Cody Plambeck, Clay Plambeck, and Paxton Sorenson competed in livestock judging and an agriculture quiz bowl.
After a day of waiting, the results were in and the Mustangs were eager to know their placings. In junior livestock judging, Georgi tenBensel came in second place out of 159 contestants. After a successful day of judging, she commented “My favorite part of livestock judging is getting to learn and understand the variety of each species of livestock. I felt pretty confident with those concepts and that carried me on throughout the day.” Following tenBensel were Katelyn Karr, Samantha Bonifas, Reagan Rust, Brooklyn Meyer, and Kassi Jones in places 19th, 34th, 42nd, 54th, and 63rd respectively. This put the team in fourth place. The top four individuals of the top five teams qualify for the state competition, which means that tenBensel, Karr, Bonifas, and Rust will compete at state livestock judging at the Nebraska state FFA convention on April 1-3. The biotechnology team received 11th place. In junior high livestock judging, Lana Swanson placed sixth. Sydney Bartels received 48th place and Taylor Hanson received 53rd. Paxton Sorenson, Keaton Karr, Morgan Dinkler, Ashley Bonifas, Cody Plambeck, and Clay Plambeck followed. Silver Lake FFA looks forward to state livestock judging and their next competition at district leadership development events on January 22.
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