WINFIELD – Central Plains High School FFA members found out just how it feels to be in the northwest corner of the South Central District — especially when it comes to travel time. Winfield was the site of District Dairy Cattle Contest, three and a half hours away, so kids were “lights out” much of the way down and back.
But the sun did come up and the kids were ready to give it their best shot. With another set of first timers, their efforts and performance are to be commended. Given another week of prep time, CPHS ag instructor Wayne DeWerff believes their outcomes could have been even better.
“We’ve been going full bore since school has started and the arrival of district dairy just came too fast. You try to work in a short topic or lesson between competitive events and the next thing you know time has become a premium again,” he said.
Three heifer and four cow classes, plus two sets of reasons, in a matter of hours and it was time to leave for home. For most, they saw the largest number of competitors yet, 225 Greenhands (freshmen) with 31 teams; and 142 senior individuals with 41 teams. Since COVID when district competition was virtual only, contests are getting larger every year, and this years was no exception—nearly 100 more than last. The students did well, especially considering a condensed version of teaching and training. Libby Warta finished in a tie for 10th but fell to 11th on a tiebreaker. Taylor Sheehy, in her first ever FFA competition, finished right in the middle, 71st, while sophomore Adyson Green placed 99th with teammate Ethan Miller, 100th. Caden Fanatia didn’t have the day like he did the week before at Kiowa, coming in at 125th.
While the design of the contest is competitive in nature, students frequently discover far more. Taylor Sheehy, junior and chapter reporter, found that “dairy judging was a great learning opportunity. It put me out of my comfort zone and I was able to grow as a person. I encountered new life skills that I can use in the future for FFA and beyond.”
DeWerff was happy for first timer, senior Isiah Jensen, who had never competed in anything but wanted to give it a try. Jensen finished the event in 131st. “He needed that,” said DeWerff.
Freshman Greenhand, Sierra Marsell, finished strong as well, 68th among a 225 field, equaling a finish in the top 30%. As a varsity team, Central Plains finished 21st, about where DeWerff expected. He stated it provided a solid baseline for showing marked improvement for next year.
“It’s great to work with these kids. They show the interest, have the desire, and want to compete. There’s no doubt we’ll have made significant progress by next year,” DeWerff said.
