Camden-Frontier FFA students win crop management challenge
FRONTIER — Future Farmers of America students from Camden-Frontier schools took first place in the corn category in the FFA’s Crop Management Challenge this year.
The challenge is an annual competition held on the AgroExpo grounds in St. Johns for students to test their agronomy skills.
Contestants compete with other FFA chapters to make sound agronomic and environmental decisions in a demonstration plot of corn of soybeans and the students make all the decisions from selecting tillage practices to what inputs they use to help crop fertility.
“The competition gives students an opportunity to research, hypotehesize, make recommendations, and then find out what those recommendations yield in a world where the climate determines a majority of the outcome,” said Troy Bancroft, AgroLiquid chairman of the board.
Contestants are judged on yield, economics and presentation responses to the judges’ questions.
“At the end of this competition, the students explain the ‘whys’ to the decisions they made,” said Marnie Swartzendruber, AgroExpo Show coordinator. “This shows the depth of their understanding, which is what we’re hoping they take away from this competition.”
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Ten FFA chapters participated in this years contest with first place winners to receive a plaque, traveling trophy and $1,000.
The winning Camden-Frontier students are Blake Bever, Kenton Clark, Brayden Bever and Carter VanAkin. Sarah Davis is their advisor.
The team will receive their awards at the 2024 Michigan State FFA conventions held Feb. 28 through March 1, 2024.
— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Camden-Frontier FFA students win crop management challenge
