Agricultural News
Meet Your 2014 National Proficiency Award Winner in Agricultural Sales- Joshua Haven of Cheyenne
Sat, 01 Nov 2014 05:57:24 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 2014, Oklahoma had 12 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 87th National Convention of the FFA organization. Oklahoma was tied for the third most National winners this year, with only Ohio (7) and Wisconsin (6) claiming more. Oklahoma and Wisconsin were the most efficient in converting national finalists into national champions, with both states having just under fifty percent of their finalists named as the overall winners.
Joshua Haven of the Cheyenne FFA Chapter won National Proficiency title in Agricultural Sales, Entrepreneurship. Joshua Haven purchased his grandfather's feed business in 2010. He transitioned the store to a self-service feed store to reduce his labor costs and allow customers to pick up feed at convenient times. He maintains customers by hosting customer appreciation dinners and feed workshops, as well as supporting area livestock premium sales and fundraisers. Haven is currently majoring in Agricultural Business at Oklahoma State University. He is supported by his parents Ray Haven and Amy Williams.
In talking with Ron Hays after being named national champion on Friday afternoon, Haven says that he offers a variety of feed products to serve his customers- everything from "horse feeds to cattle feed, cattle mineral, blocks, show feeds and even bulk feed." Haven spoke of his time in the FFA, including his time in serving as the State Reporter with last year's Officer Team. You can hear their conversation by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
Coverage of the 2014 National FFA Convention and Expo can be seen and heard on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network, OklahomaFarmReport.Com, our Daily Farm and Ranch News Email, Twitter via our Ron_on_RON feed, Facebook , FLICKR and on our Oklahoma Farm Report App- available for Apple and Andrioid Devices.
Our exclusive coverage from Louisville is a service of the Oklahoma FFA Association, the Oklahoma FFA Alumni Association and your Oklahoma Ford Dealers. For more information about this youth organization, click here.
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