Education
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
A7
Grant Union ag team competes at state
Sales team reaches
state for first time
in four years
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Four Grant Union FFA chapter
members teamed up to compete in
ag sales at the state competition Nov.
18 in Hermiston.
It was the first time in four years a
Grant Union ag sales team has com-
peted at the state-level career devel-
opment event.
Team members included Kel-
len Shelley, chapter vice president;
Cinch Anderson, chapter secretary;
Maggie Justice, chapter treasurer;
and Averie Wenger, chapter report-
er. Alternates were Billy Radinovich
and Jessi Nolan.
Twenty Oregon schools compet-
ed in ag sales, and 21 in veterinary
science, at the event held at Hermis-
ton High School.
Grant Union didn’t place in the
top 10 to qualify for FFA Nationals,
but team members said they were
glad to take part in the competition.
“I am very proud we were there,”
Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger
The Grant Union FFA ag sales team participated in the FFA state competition Nov. 18 in Hermiston.
From left, Cinch Anderson, Maggie Justice, Averie Wenger and Kellen Shelley. The group is advised by
Grant Union teacher Adam Ineck. Twenty-one schools competed in veterinary science, and 20 schools
participated in agricultural sales.
Shelley said. “It was great to com-
pete at that level and learn the struc-
ture of the state competition for fur-
ther success for years to come.”
Grant Union FFA chapter advisor
Adam Ineck said it was a “fantastic
experience” for the team members.
“They put a lot of hard work in
preparation,” he said. “They’re defi-
nitely exposed to what it takes to get
to the next level.”
The ag sales competition in-
volved each individual team member
presenting an ag item for sale, which
they prepared beforehand, with one
of the judges interacting as if they
were a customer.
An impromptu team scenario
presentation is another part of the
competition, with 20 minutes to
prepare a solution and a business
proposition.
During the contest, the members
showed how they would deal with a
disgruntled customer, phone orders,
finding customers (such as at a trade
show) and advertising.
Wenger said she learned leader-
ship qualities from the experience
and she enjoyed spending time with
her chapter and officer team.
“We definitely saw a higher level
of competition, which will help us
in the upcoming years of ag sales,”
she said. “There are a lot of CDEs
through FFA where you can learn,
and that can help you with your fu-
ture.”
The top two teams from each FFA
district qualify for the state compe-
tition.
Grant Union placed second in the
Strawberry Mountain District, with
Burnt River finishing first, at the
Nov. 8 ag sales competition in Prai-
rie City.
Oregon FFA has a goal of “help-
ing its members to develop their
own unique talents and explore their
interests in a broad range of career
pathways.”
OTEC scholarship
and youth tour
applications available
Blue Mountain Eagle
Applications are available
for Oregon Trail Electric Co-
operative scholarships and its
annual youth tour.
OTEC will award a to-
tal of 32 scholarships this
year: two for students pur-
suing a career in electri-
cal line school, 26 for high
school seniors or returning
college students and four
for students entering a trade
school. Additional infor-
mation and applications are
at
otecc.com/community/
scholarships. The deadline
to submit a scholarship ap-
plication is 5 p.m. Jan. 25.
High school students in
their junior year can apply
for a one-week, all-expenses
paid trip to Washington, D.C.,
to take part in the 2018 Rural
Electric Cooperative Youth
Tour. The tour is scheduled
for June 8-14. Additional in-
formation and applications
are available at otecc.com/
community/youth-tour. The
deadline to submit an appli-
cation for the youth tour is 5
p.m. Jan. 12.
Funding for OTEC schol-
arships and the youth tour
come from unclaimed capi-
tal credits and their earnings.
They do not affect electric
rates.
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