FFA members, teams vie for selection compete at national agriscience fair

Mac McCumber of the Middle School Thermopolis Big Springs FFA chapter has been named a national finalist this year in the Animal Systems category in division 1 of the competition.

The National FFA Agriscience Fair is a key competition that is part of the annual National FFA Convention & Expo to be held Oct. 23-26, 2024,in Indianapolis.

To qualify, FFA members working as individuals or teams in grades 7-12 are required to conduct a scientific research project pertaining to the agriculture industries and win their state’s FFA agriscience fair. Individuals or teams compete in one of six categories – animal systems; environmental services/natural resource systems; food products and processing systems; plant systems; power, structural and technical systems; or social science – in six divisions.

First-place winners in each state have qualified for the national pre-qualifying judging. The panel of judges reviewed entries and selected a maximum of 10 in each category and division to move on to the national competition.

In addition, Trevin Shaffer and Baer McPhie received a bronze in the Plant Systems category in division 2 of the competition. They were among the top 20 in the nation.