On Nov. 15 and 16, Ward Cotton accompanied several students to the John Deere Ag Expo for FFA competitions in Billings, MT.

The first day, senior Jin Woo Kim and junior Kelsey Walton performed in the Extemporaneous Speaking event against many MT teams. The next day seniors Jackie Lewis, Denim Lind, and sophomore Lexi Smiley participated in the Ag Communications event.

In Extemp Speaking, participants draw a topic, ranging from topics such as Ag Science and Technology, Food and Fiber Systems, Urban Agriculture, to perform a speech about in front of judges. Once drawing their subject, members are given 30 minutes and few resources to prepare and come up with a speech.

Kim and Walton have taken part in this event before, and performed very well in it at the Ag Expo, according to Cotton. Their results are still yet to be posted.

In the Ag Communications event, a new competition for the Sheridan members, each girl performed very well in their respective practicums for their first time, placing as a team in the top ten out of ninety schools, and individually in the top forty. This was a shock to the first-time competitors, with them having little knowledge of what to do going into the event. However, this could open a door to a new competition to work in for the Sheridan FFA team.

This was Cotton’s first time bringing students to the Ag Expo to compete against MT teams. And after reviewing the results of the two groups, it appears this will not be the last time, either.