McMinnville FFA Members competed in two different state FFA competitions last weekend and came out on top in the Nursery/Landscape contest. The team, (from left) Jack Friberg, Luis Garibaldo and McKenna West, qualifies to represent Oregon in the national competition next October in Indianapolis.
The competition focuses on outdoor landscaping plants and practices and requires plant knowledge, design evaluation, mathematical calculations, marketing skills, and more.
Students also competed in the Floriculture contest, which tests knowledge of floral design and greenhouse and houseplant production, including the scientific and biological principles of propagation, growth, harvesting, marketing, maintenance and more.
“These are both competitions that are geared toward career development,” said FFA adviser and Horticulture pathway teacher Kerry Naylor. “These are the subjects they learn in class and are intended to fulfill the FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), which involves learning entrepreneurship, scientific experimentation, job or internship and a career exploration.”