FFA team places first in state

MT. GILEAD — On Oct. 11, members of the South Central FFA chapter competed in the State Urban Soils Career Development Event Competition in Mt. Gilead, Ohio and placed 1st in the State. The Urban team consisted of Taylor Smith, Kaili Ingram, Bryan Chaffee and Izzy Lucha. The members were 1 of 50 teams in the state that qualified for the contest after getting through the county and district level qualifying rounds. Members evaluated the soils for buildings with basements, septic system potential, landscaping and driveways/roads. They had to learn to differentiate between five different soil textures, identify the various landforms, evaluate the land for flooding and slippage, identify the drainage capabilities and the restrictive layers in the soil. The members would then take the knowledge gained and then make recommendations for basements, septic systems, landscaping and driveways. There is also a knowledge test. The members placed 1st in the state out of over 600 chapters that started in preliminary rounds with Izzy Lucha earning 1st place overall individual, Bryan Chaffee with 2nd place overall individual, Taylor Smith earning 8th place individual and Kaili Ingram earning 18th place overall individual. The team qualified for Nationals and will be traveling to Oklahoma in May of 2026. Congratulations!