FFA Chapters from David City and Newman Grove sent students to the National FFA Convention, held October 24-27 in Indianapolis, IN.

The National FFA Organization selected two local students to participate in a national agriscience competition. Jessica Boschen and Sheila O’Brien, members of the Newman Grove FFA Chapter, competed at the National FFA Convention. More than 300 participants from across the nation defended their projects against other entries for judging in 20 divisions.

Jessica’s project, “The Effect of Beaver Dams on Water Quality,” and Sheila’s project, “The Effects of Hibernation on Respiration Using Terrapene Ornata,” were on display at the convention in the National FFA Agriscience Fair area of the RCA Dome. Categories for competition were biochemistry/microbiology/food science; botany; engineering; environmental science; and zoology. Four divisions divided students by grades 7-12. Each national winning participant received either a cash award or scholarship.

Shelby Sidel, Parker Mastny, Justin Kouba and FFA Advisor Mr. Angell were the David City attendees at the 80th National FFA Convention. They joined other members from Heartland, Osceola, McCool Junction, Palmyra, Nebraska City, and Falls City FFA Chapters as they shared a chartered bus and motel rooms to help cut down on the trip cost.

The group stopped at the John Deere Tractor and Cab assembly plant located in Waterloo, IA as a part of the trip. The tour at John Deere was arranged by Gary Dostal, who is a past graduate of David City and has been employed at John Deere for 29 years. The tour was very informative and educational. The guides stressed “lean manufacturing” as key to their operation. “Lean manufacturing” is the term they use in reference to not producing any more tractors than what are sold. The cost of them is too much to manufacture units that are sitting around just for show. The tour began with a 17-minute video about the history of the company and the changes that have taken place over the years.

The students from David City attended a workshop called “Followership—Can You Follow the Leader?” The workshop stressed the fact that we spend most of our time as followers even though much emphasis is placed on leadership. The workshop pointed out that becoming an effective follower may help you be a better leader. The four main skills that were explained in detail during the workshop were egolessness, listening, focus, and team orientations.

Friday was a relaxing day for students as they had the opportunity to tour the National FFA headquarters located a few miles from the convention area. The group also toured the Indiana State Museum. The group also spent time touring the Indianapolis Zoo.

Saturday the group got on the bus and left the motel at 6:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) as they prepared to watch the American Degree Ceremony. It was a long day as the group
traveled home after the Degree Ceremony. David City’s group pulled into town at 2:15 a.m.