Next week 22 Kimball FFA students will head east to compete in Career Development Events at state in Lincoln. They earned the right to face the best from across Nebraska by placing or winning a series of recent meets, including districts.

To prepare for state, the students have put in time at several practices during the month of March.

State FFA begins March 28 and runs through the end of the month.

“The kids have represented Kimball outstandingly well this year,” said instructor Alan Held. “We are competing against larger schools. I expect some good things this year.”

Much of what it takes to reach state can be learned in the classroom or through experience. To face the intense demands of competition, however, requires practice.

Perhaps the strongest teams, at least in terms of this competition, are Kimball’s Parlimentary Procedure, Ag Sales and Senior Livestock Judging squads.

“Any three of these have a chance of winning state,” Held observed.

As a welcome break from the rigors of competition, senior Preston Lukassen will be receiving a state degree, the highest such honor a student can earn at this level.

“He’s done a nice job,” Held noted. “It shows a lot of dedication.”

Attending state FFA from Kimball are:

Ag Sales Team:

Brian Evertson, Jessica Fossand, Tessa Shaw and Colton Snyder

Senior Livestock Judging Team:

Jessica Fossand, Preston Lukassen, Austin Pile and Tessa Shaw

Junior Livestock Judging Team:

Michael Ferguson, Rowdy Keller, Kayla Lukassen and Tyler Shaw

Food Science Team:

Kasee Copeland, Jessica Fossand, Breanna Lundgren and Jodell Schulte

Meat Judging Team:

Tristan Carruthers, Kasee Copeland, Logan Modlin and J.J. Poss

Senior Parlimentary Procedure Team:

Andrew Barrett, Brent Bussinger, Brian Evertson, Preston Lukassen, Annie McCloud  and Tori Reader

Creed Team:

Michael Ferguson

Floral Design Team:

Kasee Copeland, Kayla Lukassen, Breanna Lundgren and Dalton Luppen

Ag Mechanics Team:

Andrew Barrett, Brian Evertson, Preston Lukassen and J.J. Poss

Welding Team:

Andrew Barrett, Logan Modlin and Austin Pile

Agri-Science Team:

Michael Ferguson, Rowdy Keller, Jodell Schulte and Tyler Shaw

Several students qualified in more than one event.

The students will hold a fundraising event to help with the cost of their trip on Friday, March 23, with a silent auction and alumni feed, from 5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. and a labor auction at 7:30 p.m.

According to the state FFA, Nebraska hosts 17 career development events, covering job skills in everything from communications to mechanics. These events typically cover the technical skill areas related to this diverse career field. Together with the Leadership Skills Events (LSEs) organized by the Nebraska FFA Association, students in agricultural education compete in a variety of events that sharpen their skills as they explore and experience careers in agriculture. CDE and LSE events take place during on UNL’s East Campus, at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, and at the Cornhusker Hotel.