The Crookston High School FFA took 39 students to the 95th Minnesota FFA State Convention to compete in the respective career development events (CDEs) and leadership development events (LDEs) that they qualified for at the regional level. At the state FFA convention, teams are ranked third. The top third of competitors are ranked gold, the middle third is ranked silver, and the bottom third is ranked bronze. Crookston FFA had its most successful convention since re-chartering as a chapter in 2020.
Joslyn Wallace made history for the Crookston FFA chapter by being the first member since Crookston FFA re-charted in 2020 to earn her Minnesota FFA state degree. State degrees are awarded to members who have worked 300 hours hours, earned or invested $1000 into their SAE, or a combination of both. The candidate must have completed at least two years of High School Agriculture Education courses. They also need 50 volunteer hours with at least 2 different organizations. They need to have already obtained their Greenhand and Chapter degrees and have attended 15 FFA events above the chapter level.
The Conduct of Chapter Meetings team took home 5th place in the state, ranking gold. In Minnesota FFA, the top 5 teams earn stage recognition and a plaque. The team consisted of Emilee Smith, Avery Mathews, Jocelyn Johnson, Mykayla Garcia, Allysen Wager, Leah Johanneck, and Sylvia Christensen. Ben Capistran was named the 2024 state winner in the Agricultural Mechanics CDE. Out of over 100 individuals, he earned first place.
Other results included-
Addisyn Schiller competed in the individual LDE Creed Speaking event. Out of 18 competitors, Addisyn Schiller was recognized as the 3rd-place individual, and the Forestry CDE team was made up of Tessa Weber, Katelyn Christensen, Taylor Wieland, and Leah Johanneck. The team and all individuals ranked gold. Crookston FFA had the 8th-place forestry team.
Emilee Smith was named the third-place state finalist for her Diversified Horticulture Placement Proficiency. This honor was earned by completing an application detailing her work in her Supervised Agriculture Experience at Thomforde’s Garden Center. The application is scored by hours worked and skills learned.
The Floriculture team, made up of Emilee Smith, Ezra Portillo, Neveyahlee Bruce, and Lilli Bridgeford, ranked bronze. All team members ranked bronze.
The Best Informed Greenhand CDE team ranked bronze. The team consisted of Lana Peterson, Rilynn Aubol, Theodore Maygra, Ethan Boe, Leia Parkin, Lilli Bridgeford, Neveyahlee Bruce, and Isabel Pahlen. All members ranked bronze except Lana Peterson, who ranked silver.
The Parliamentary Procedure LDE team ranked Bronze. The team members include Tessa Weber, Joslyn Wallace, Taylor Wieland, Ben Capistran, Emily Bowman, and Addisyn Schiller.
The Agricultural Mechanics CDE team, consisting of Ben Capistran, Austin Thode, Dylan Thode, and Wyatt Marsyla, ranked silver in the state. Individually, the entire team was bronze, except Ben Capistran, who ranked gold.
The Milk Quality and Products CDE team made up of Allysen Wagner, Emily Bowman, Leia Parkin, and Rylee Anderson ranked silver as a team. Ally, Emily, and Rylee ranked silver as individuals. Leia ranked bronze.
The Fish and Wildlife CDE team was silver. The team members were Evin Trudeau, Conner Hanson, Brandon Wandrie, and Brandon Colborn. Evin, Conner, and Brandon Wandrie ranked silver. Brandon Colborn was bronze.
The Companion Animals CDE team consisting of Hope Alexander, Grace Alexander, Meliyah Moore, and Hailey McEndree ranked Silver. Hope, Hailey, and Meliyah ranked silver, and Grace ranked Bronze.
The chapter officers submitted an application detailing the chapter’s program of activities, which is all the events the chapter completed over the year. As a chapter, Crookston FFA ranked silver for the activities they executed in the areas of Growing Leaders, Building Communities, and Strengthening Agriculture.
