TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Over 400 Future Farmers of America students have made their way from across the state to take part in the annual FFA Leadership Convention at the College of Southern Idaho.
The four-day event, running April 1 through April 4, is designed to give Idaho high school students the chance to learn, connect, and explore their futures through a variety of contests, seminars, and guest speakers.
WATCH: Over 400 Idaho students gather for the annual FFA Leadership Convention at the College of Southern Idaho
On Wednesday morning, livestock judging took over the CSI Expo Center.
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"This is really great practice for a lot of different contests – it is an invitational, so anybody from across the state can come and participate in this," Kaylee said.
Kaylee and Gus are current CSI agriculture students who participated in FFA during high school, taking part in the annual convention.
"FFA gave me a lot in my life," Kaylee said. "I think it's super important for kids to be a part of this - you can learn a lot from the judging contests – being a part of an officer team or just a chapter in general."
Gus said he's been coming to the judging contest for the last 4 years.
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"This is kind of the start of the year, you kind of get focused on stuff you think you do well on and stuff you need to improve on," Gus said.
For FFA students like Gunnar from Salmon and Haily from Declo, the convention gives them the chance to hone their skills while also exploring new interests.
"I go to bull sales every year, so bulls are my favorite judging... I know what I'm looking for," Gunnar said.
"I want to go into crop science and learn the basics on what chemicals do to help the plants grow," Haily said.
Isabella is from Moscow and is taking this FFA opportunity as a college visit. She is considering the College of Southern Idaho veterinarian program as a top choice.
"Moscow is a pretty small town... so coming here might give me a bigger opportunity for myself and branch out into other things I might like," Isabella said.
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