Idaho was well represented at the 97th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the end of October.
Roughly 700 Idaho students joined the event, which attracted around 71,000 FFA members nationwide, for competitions, leadership workshops, tours and educational seminars.
Among the highlights, Lucy Barney from the Rigby FFA Chapter earned national recognition as the champion in Equine Science Placement as part of her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), marking a major achievement for Idaho FFA.
The SAE program is a student-led, instructor-supervised, work-based learning experience that includes detailed recordkeeping, an application process and an interview.
“I felt really proud of myself and super grateful for my [FFA] advisors and all the help they gave me in putting together my application,” Barney said of her experience. “It’s just really cool being in the Lucas Oil Stadium and there’s thousands of FFA members there watching, and you’re sitting on the stage waiting for your name to be called, and when it was, it was pretty surreal.”
Advisor Larin Crossley and Preston FFA members Colin Sorensen, Addilee Carter, Ty Atkinson and Kyson Petterborg stand with their seventh-place award in milk quality and products. Courtesy photo.
Barney’s agricultural roots run deep. Her family farms wheat and barley, raises cattle and has a long tradition with draft horses, competing in horse-pulling competitions with Belgian breeds and traveling across the Intermountain West to show their Shire draft horse hitch.
During the summer months especially, Barney trains their Belgian breeds by pulling weighted sleds to build muscle mass and refining techniques of their Shire draft horse hitch to enhance their show ring performance.
Even at 5 feet, 8 inches, these horses tower over her, making her look miniature in comparison. She credits her confidence around these animals to the trust developed through working with them daily.
Though the draft horse tradition is a family affair, Barney has found her own passion for the industry. “Looking back especially, I’m really grateful for the experiences I’ve had,” she reflected. “It’s a lot of hard work and sometimes especially as a younger kid, I don’t want to be out in the cold feeding horses or working them, but I think just seeing how blessed I was in my experience to work with these beautiful animals, to gain their trust through training them, has been really awesome. I just really enjoy working them.” Barney is the daughter of Nick and Kim Barney of Lewisville.
Pictured left to right are the members of the American Falls FFA Chapter’s National FFA fourth-place Environmental and Natural Resources Team: Eddy Hernandez, Zahir Mancilla, Noah Cummins, Phil Barela and their advisor, Bret Kindall. Courtesy photo.
Barney’s national win wasn’t the only big moment for the Rigby FFA Chapter. The Forestry and Agricultural Mechanics teams both earned fifth-place finishes, while the Livestock Evaluation team placed 10th. Brayden Hammer, a junior at Rigby High School who competed with the Agricultural Mechanics team, shared his excitement. “We've spent a lot of time on this and seeing that all that work paid off was just overwhelming appreciation for my team and for my advisors, but also contentment with how well I did.”
Though Hammer doesn’t come from an agricultural background, he joined the Agricultural Mechanics team to fill a gap, bringing his small engine expertise. Inspired by his father, who worked in a repair shop, Hammer now runs a lawn equipment service business and spends his free time rebuilding engines. Last year, he even revived a seized side-by-side, finding the work both challenging and rewarding.
The American Falls FFA Chapter also brought home impressive honors. Their Agricultural Issues and Floriculture teams placed third, the Environmental and Natural Resources team earned fourth, and sophomore Kerlyn Mendez achieved fifth place in the Spanish Creed competition. Mendez, originally from Guatemala, moved to Idaho five years ago. Competing for the first time at the national level, she described the moment her name was announced: “They called my name, and I was about to cry.”
Kerlyn Mendez, an American Falls FFA member, proudly holds her fifth-place award from the Spanish Creed competition. Courtesy photo.
Phil Barela, now studying at the College of Southern Idaho, was particularly proud of his team’s performance in Environmental and Natural Resources. Competing since his freshman year, Barela developed skills in plant and animal identification, water and soil analysis for agricultural uses and GPS mapping. Reflecting on his journey, he highlighted the importance of hard work and shared his advisor’s guiding mantra: “Make your best better.” For Barela, standing on stage felt surreal, a rewarding culmination of four years of effort.
Preston FFA member Ty Atkinson also had a strong showing, helping his milk quality and products team earn seventh place nationally. Atkinson’s passion for agriculture began early; he started working on a robotic dairy farm at age 11 and eventually took on managerial duties until the dairy closed this spring. Over the summer, he worked for a hay farmer, and now he’s employed by Christensen Genetics, a large cattle operation specializing in advanced breeding, while also milking cows for another dairy several nights a week. “I’ve always just enjoyed farming and thought it was a great thing,” Atkinson shared, adding, “Nationals was a really cool experience – I really appreciated it.”
“Idaho FFA members definitely set the bar high,” said Melissa Sherman, Idaho FFA executive director. “These achievements reflect the hard work and passion of Idaho’s FFA members, who continue to represent our state with pride and distinction on the national stage."
Idaho also had 60 individuals honored with the prestigious American FFA Degree. In total, 24 teams and individuals placed in the top 10 in the nation and were recognized on stage for their excellence.
Courtesy photo.
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