Adding to the list of Eagle accomplishments, two FFA teams qualified for the Area Four Leadership Development Event contest in Abilene.

Future Farmers of America, otherwise known as FFA, is an organization that focuses on educating high school students about agriculture and many students participate beyond the classroom by showing an animal or participating in a Leadership Development Event, or an LDE. 

Decatur FFA’s Senior Skills team and Ag Issues team both advanced, with Senior Skills placing seventh overall and Ag Issues placing 12th overall at the Red River District contest held on Nov. 14.

For the Senior Skills contest, teams give a demonstration for any agricultural skill of their choice and demonstrate effective public speaking and communication skills throughout the presentation. The Decatur team consists of Shye Harris, Manny Carrillo, Johnathan Donahue and Shalynn Belcher and their advisor is Taylor Patino.

“Decatur FFA’s skill is how to properly use a paint gun. The team speaks on safety, types of paint guns, then demonstrates how to use the paint gun,” Patino said.

To prepare for the competition, the team focused on practicing their presentation and correctly demonstrating the safety protocols for using a paint gun.

“These students showed hard work and dedication by showing up to early morning practices, working around their schedules to memorize their scripts, and putting in the effort to improve their performance,” Patino said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these students!”

The Ag Issues team, another LDE team from DHS FFA, is headed by Chyenne Bower.

For Ag Issues, teams must research a current issue in the agriculture field, create a portfolio for it and deliver a presentation that includes both the pros and cons of their chosen issue. 

While spring is when FFA activities pick up thanks to the various stock shows and fairs, the Ag Issues and Senior Skills teams will continue to practice their presentations in hopes to advance to the next level of competition.