Fri, 28 Oct 2022 15:11:35 CDT
Nine winners of the 2022 Agricultural Proficiency Awards were named during the fifth session of the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo on Friday, Oct. 28, which is being held in Indianapolis.
Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs), have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers. Students compete in areas ranging from agricultural communications to wildlife management. Proficiency awards are also recognized at local and state levels and provide recognition to members exploring and becoming established in agricultural career pathways.
Today, awards were announced for nine of the 45 categories during the fifth general convention session.
These recipients are:
Forest Management and Products
Joshua Shaver
Joshua Shaver of the West Rowan FFA Chapter in North Carolina works for his family business, Shaver Wood Products. He joined the operation in 2011, helping to manage 45 acres of lumber mill where treated and untreated lumber are produced to sell wholesale to companies on the east coast and internationally. He helps operate all the necessary equipment for the operation including drying kilns, computer-operated saws for dimensional lumber production, forklifts, wheel loaders and more. Joshua is supported by his uncle, Chad.
Fruit Production – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Clark Simmons
Clark Simmons of the Penn Yan FFA Chapter in New York is the third generation to work on his family farm. When he was only ten years old, he started working by replacing broken posts that hold the trellis for the grapes. He learned to prune and trellis the grapes depending on the variety. Simmons was certified through the Environmental Protection Agency, trained for pesticide safety and to be a handler. This certification includes pesticides, fungicides and insecticides. Simmons is supported by his parents, Julie and Daren.
Goat Production – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Sunny Cowley
Sunny Cowley of the Canyon FFA Chapter in Texas owns a show goat herd consisting of 46 head, allowing her to experience all aspects of raising goats from breeding to marketing. Her top priorities are to maintain the health of her animals through proper nutrition, daily care and facilities maintenance. Cowley breeds nannies that she owns to bucks that she leases to have kids to sell and, potentially, for her to show. Cowley is supported by her parents, Mandy and Kelby.
Grain Production – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Joan Tovar-Martinez
Joan Tovar-Martinez of the Sumter County FFA Chapter in Georgia is a farmhand at a local operation farming 25,000 acres that farm Pioneer and DeKalb corn. He is responsible for driving tractors during the planting and harvest seasons, checking irrigation systems, and completing maintenance and repairs on the farm equipment. When stored corn needs to be loaded and transported, he assists in the record-keeping processes to ensure that records are as accurate as possible, including truck weights, load weights, and harvest locations. Tovar-Martinez is supported by his parents, Dulce and Wenceslao.
Landscape Management – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Jared Weigandt
Jared Weigandt of the New Bremen FFA Chapter in Ohio works for Sidney Lawn and Landscape, a business owned by his father. He is the mechanic and landscape co-foreman, involved in seeding lawns, installing landscapes, lawn maintenance tasks, erosion control and fertilizer applications. Weigandt is supported by his parents, Lisa and Jeffery.
Nursery Operations – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Devin Boyer
Devin M. Boyer of the Franklin County FFA Chapter in Georgia works at Broad River Blooms in his home county. When he began his work, the farm was merely an overgrown field. However, he’s helped that land transform into a field of raised beds used to produce bulbs and tubers, and nursery decorative trees and shrubs. The bulbs and tubers are harvested, sold and shopped to enthusiasts nationally. The tubers that are produced are primarily dahlia species. Boyers has constructed eight 25-foot raised beds that hold ranunculus and dahlias. Boyer is supported by his parents, Jamie and Michael.
Outdoor Recreation – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Carson Crary
Carson Crary of the Choteau FFA Chapter in Montana works for a guest ranch and outfitting business in his home state. With five guest cabins and a main lodge, the operation leads traditional back country trips into Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness during the summer. Guests ride horses, and all the gear and camp equipment is maintained. Provided crew includes a lead guide, cook, two packers and a fifth wheel. Crary is supported by his parents, Danielle and Dusty.
Poultry Production – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Jackson Lohr
Jackson Lohr of the Broadway FFA Chapter in Virginia works for the family’s poultry farm, which raises broilers under contract for Pilgrim’s at a capacity of 190,000 birds. The farm consists of one double deck, a mid-sized flat house, and two large flat houses, which Lohr can set up without any instructions. He assists with clean out and litter management keeping the nutrient management plan in compliance with state and local regulations. Lohr is supported by his parents, Jackie and Stephen.
Service-Learning – Entrepreneurship/Placement
Grace DiGiovanni
Grace Constance DiGiovanni of the McCook Central FFA Chapter in South Dakota attended a national youth healthy living summit and became inspired to promote health and wellness in her community. Backpacks containing food are distributed to students in her school each time there is a three-day weekend, ensuring that food insecurity is limited. DiGiovanni prepares recipe cards in collaboration with 4-H, based on the food included in the backpacks. DiGiovanni is supported by her parents, Corey and Randy.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of 8,995 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
