Youth News
Meet Your 2015 National Proficiency Award Winner in Poultry Production- Leza Stemple of the Vinita FFA Chapter
Sat, 31 Oct 2015 20:47:26 CDT
The Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through their Supervised Agricultural Experiences have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers. Students can compete for awards in 49 areas covering everything from Agricultural Communications to Wildlife Management. Each award area has two categories, placement and entrepreneurship- although in some award area- those two categories are combined.
Placement proficiency awards are given to those whose SAEs are related to employment, apprenticeships, or internships at an agribusiness or agriculture-related organization. Entrepreneurship proficiency awards are given to those whose SAEs are related to ownership of an agribusiness or agriculture-related organization. Proficiency awards are given out at the local, state and national levels.
Here in 2015, Oklahoma had 16 finalists vying for national honors in the Proficiency categories- and five of them were named national champions on Friday afternoon in Freedom Hall at the 88th National Convention of the FFA organization. Oklahoma was tied for the third most National winners this year, with only Ohio (9) and Georgia (6) claiming more.
One of the five award winners from Oklahoma was Leza Stemple- taking the national title in Poultry Production- Entrepreneurship/Placement
Leza Stemple of the Vinita FFA Chapter in Oklahoma has an SAE in the area of poultry selection, breeding, exhibition, care and management. Her project has grown into a thriving business, Heartland Poultry, with annual sales averaging 300 birds and 600 hatching and consumption eggs from 12 heritage breeds of chickens, ducks, and geese. Stemple is supported by her mother, Alissa, and her FFA advisor, Carolyn J. Piguet. This award is sponsored by Tractor Supply Company and Tyson Foods, Inc.
After the announcement on the stage of the National Convention in Louisville, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays talked with Leza about her success with her poultry- which she has shown and marketed not just in the US, but internationally as well. You can listen to their conversation from Louisville by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
Our exclusive coverage of the 2015 National FFA Convention in Louisville is a service of ITC, Your Energy Superhighway. Learn more about ITC Great Plains, LLC by clicking here. We also appreciate the support of the Oklahoma FFA Association and the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Association. Click here for more information about one of the top states in the US in the FFA- the Oklahoma FFA Association. Oklahoma FFA impacts the lives of 27,154 members in 359 chapters across the state.
We are also posting pictures from the 2015 National FFA Convention- you can see all of those as we add them by going to our Flickr Album- it is available by tapping or clicking here.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
