Green Canyon FFA receives “Rookie Award” at National Rangeland CDE
The Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter at Green Canyon High School recently competed in the Western National Rangeland Career Development Event (CDE) in Elko, NV. The GCHS team received the “Rookie Award” as they placed highest in the competition of schools who were in their first year of participation. Overall, the team took 6th place out of 15 teams competing from Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington.
Team members included Emily Kramer, Ella Allsop, Keaton Rigby, Kyle Jenkins, and Tiffany Esplin. They were coached by their teacher and advisor, Andy Chapparo. These students have been preparing for the Rangeland CDE for an entire year, and according to Chapparo, they have grown immensely through the process.
Rangeland CDEs require students to identify a variety of common plants found on rangeland, measure vegetation attributes for livestock and wildlife habitats, calculate the appropriate amount of animals that a portion of land can sustain, and estimate the cost of habitat improvements. The goal of this competition is to introduce students to a potential career path and increase their awareness of rangelands.
“The end goal is to have students that leave high school with a network of trained professionals in multiple fields, career skills, and leadership skills gained from their time in the FFA,” Chapparo said.
Congratulations to the GCHS FFA Rangeland team for a successful year!