Wednesday, December 03, 2008

 by Ellen Ross, Broken Bow FFA Chapter Reporter

The Broken Bow FFA Chapter has been busy conducting various community service projects and competing in contests already this year. 

The FFA Chapter helped conduct a Farm Safety day camp for young students interested in safety procedures used on the farm and cleaned up six miles of highway in the Adopt-a-Highway program. This project is one that the chapter has done in years past in order to help make our roads cleaner and safer.

The biggest project the chapter has taken on so far this year is the Loup Basin Tire Collection. Eight members of the FFA Chapter volunteered to help unload tires brought in by farmers and ranchers from across Custer County. The FFA members unloaded over 40,000 pounds of tires brought in for recycling. 

The Broken Bow FFA Chapter has also been competing in various contests and activities already this year. 

FFA members have competed in Livestock Judging and Land Judging contests this fall. The competitors, according to Ag Advisor Mr. Lonnie Koepke, did very well.\

The Broken Bow FFA Chapter also sent five members to the National FFA Convention held October 24-27 in Indianapolis, IN to compete in the Agriculture Communications contest. The team received a silver award and placed 14th on the national level. 

Individually, Drew Schendt, a sophomore at Broken Bow, placed 3rd overall and received a $600 scholarship. Also individually, Sarah Kaminski, Ellen Ross, and Courtney Quackenbush, all seniors, received silver medals, while Samuel Troxel, sophomore, received a bronze.  

Also, Jared Williams, a 2007 graduate of Broken Bow, now a freshman at UNL, received a silver award in Livestock Selection.

According to Koepke, the Broken Bow FFA Chapter has high hopes for the upcoming year. They plan to compete in many contests and complete several more community betterment projects.