On Wednesday, February 1st, 23 of Fillmore Central’s FFA members and 2 non-members submitted applications for Proficiency Awards. These were judged by District Agriculture Teachers. Proficiency Awards are based on specific areas of each student's SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) project. SAE projects can range from raising 80 acres of corn to simply taking care of a home garden. The judges evaluate hours put into the project, how much progress was made, financial investment, money earned, abilities developed, and knowledge and skills that were learned.
Out of the 25 total applicants, 5 were awarded a gold rating and qualified for state level recognition. These 5 applications will be judged against others in the state at the end of February: Dominic Harding in Ag Mechanic Repair and Maintenance, Brecken Hoban in Diversified Ag Production, Cole Nedrow in Grain Production, Blake Nun in Turf Grass Management, and Lilly Srajhans in Health and Human Services. Three applicants received gold: Bailey Hafer in Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production, Treygan Srajhans in Diversified Livestock Production, Wyatt Rayburn in Grain Production. The following 5 received silver ratings: Carson Asche in Home and/or Occupational Safety Programming, Makin Girmus in Diversified Ag Production, Kaili Head in Home and/or Occupational Safety Programming, Brenner McCann-Coen in Hospitality, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, Cooper Schelkopf in Small Animal Production and Care. The following 5 received bronze rating: Hunter Lukes in Ag Mechanic Repair and Maintenance, Carlos Andujo in Residential Construction/Technology, Dylan Gewecke in Ag Mechanic Repair and Maintenance, Addison Wolf in Health and Human Services, Peyton Komenda in Vegetable Production. The other applicants included: Daniel Stoner in Home and/or Occupational Safety Programming, Cierra Cruz in Health and Human Services, Roman Gaston in Ag Mechanic Repair and Maintenance, Treygan Kramer in Ag Sales, Luke Kimbrough in Diversified Crop, Bryson Hafer in Diversified Crop, Jackson Turner in Diversified Crop.
We also had three senior FFA members apply for the State FFA Degree. State Degrees are the highest award achievable at the state level. In order to receive this award, our seniors had to update their SAE records, submit an application, and be interviewed to determine the validity of their records and the skills that they reported on their application. The three seniors who received this award are Mason Simacek, Jorden Engle, and Faith Engle. They have kept records of their SAE time and money, FFA involvement and activities, and their community service hours. After the State FFA approves their nominations from our district, they will receive their award at the Nebraska State FFA Convention in March. Congratulations to all recipients and thank you to all the local employers, customers, and other people who helped make this year’s accomplishments possible.