Mechanicsburg FFA of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, has been named Grand Champion in the Weeding out Hunger FFA Video Challenge. Mechanicsburg competed against four National FFA chapters representing Tennessee, Colorado, Ohio and North Carolina for the title and the $3,000 grand prize.
This is the first year Syngenta and Weeding out Hunger with Halex GT hosted the FFA Video Challenge. In January, Weeding out Hunger invited chapters nationwide to submit a short video describing the importance of FFA and agriculture in the community and in providing for the food, fiber, fuel and feed needs of the nation.
“We want to thank each chapter that submitted a video for this challenge. The pride these students have in FFA, agriculture and their communities is pretty amazing,” said David Piñon, senior communications manager, Syngenta. “We are so glad they took the time and effort necessary to convey that pride through their video submissions. Congratulations to Mechanicsburg for demonstrating just how important FFA and agriculture are to our communities and the nation.”
Four other chapters were also recognized as winners in the competition. Station Camp FFA of Gallatin, Tennessee, was named Reserve Champion and rewarded with a $1,500 prize. In addition, three best-of-category winners were chosen by judges to receive $500 each. The Most Original entry, chosen for the originality of its content, was from South Central FFA of Greenwich, Ohio. The Most Creative entry was awarded to Limon FFA of Limon, Colorado, for its unique approach in presenting video content. The Best Community Development entry was from Overhills FFA of Spring Lake, North Carolina, chosen for its emphasis on service to the local community.
A panel of nine judges representing Syngenta, agricultural media and National FFA selected the winners after viewing all five finalists’ videos and scoring them based on how well they addressed the competition theme. Mechanicsburg entered the final round of judging with an advantage, earning bonus points for being chosen the public’s favorite video during the April online voting.
The Weeding out Hunger FFA Video Challenge was created to help recognize the commitment and service of FFA to agriculture and local communities. Weeding out Hunger with Halex GT is a hunger-relief campaign dedicated to helping alleviate hunger in farming communities across the U.S. Based on grower purchases of Halex GT corn herbicide, Syngenta donated more than $100,000 and nearly 5 tons of food to 78 food banks in 24 states on behalf of Weeding out Hunger in 2010. Currently in its second year, the campaign has already donated more than $17,000 and 2 tons of nonperishable food items to local food banks.
To view all video entries, visit www.facebook.com/weedingouthunger also “like” the Facebook page because for every 250 “likes” the Facebook page receives up to 1,000, Weeding out Hunger will donate $250 to a community food bank. For additional information on Weeding out Hunger or Halex GT, visit www.weedingouthunger.com. To receive real-time updates, you can also follow the campaign on Twitter at www.twitter.com/weedouthunger. PD
—From Syngenta news release
