Students participating in horse judging and evaluation contest

Wyoming College Agriculture Program hosted the Cowboy Husker Showdown on October 25, 2021 at the Agricultural Technology Education Center (ATEC) on campus.  The event included an Agronomy Career Development Event (CDE), a Horse Judging Contest/CDE, and a Rangeland Management CDE.  Seventy-three youth attended the events representing Glenrock FFA, Laramie County 4-H, Meeteetse FFA, Minatare FFA, Mitchell-Morrill FFA, Platte County 4-H, Southeast FFA, Sundance FFA, Whitcomb FFA and Wind River FFA.

Students participating in the Agronomy CDE had to take an exam; identify crops (seed or plant), equipment, insect and insect or disease damage to plants; grade grain and evaluate soil.  Emmett Coxbill, Southeast FFA was the High Individual in the Identification and Overall while Ayden Shimic, Southeast FFA was High Individual on the written exam.  The High Team Overall in Agronomy was Morrill-Mitchel FFA.

Youth braved the chilly weather to evaluate 6 class of horses and give 2 sets of reasons for seniors and 2 sets of questions or questions and reasons for the juniors.  Horses were provided by individuals in southeast Wyoming and Western Nebraska including a number of EWC students.  Officials were Danette Whitney of Carpenter and Faith Pfeifer of Laramie.  Wind River FFA was the High Team Overall in the senior division while Meeteetse FFA captured the High Team honor in the junior division.  High Senior Overall and in Reasons was Kaylee Rasnake, Platte County 4-H; High Junior Overall was Tessa Sanderson, Sundance FFA; and High Junior in Reasons was Teigen Derner, Laramie County 4-H.

The Range Management CDE included a written exam, plant identification, site description, rangeland assessment and rangeland ecosystems measurements.  High Individual in Plant Identification and Overall was Bailey Booth, Southeast FFA, while Reece H., Wind River FFA was High on the Written Exam.  The High Team overall in Range Management was Wind River FFA.

Thank you to Westco for sponsoring lunch for the contests.  A special thanks to Ray Pinney from West Plains and Greta Birch from Westco for helping with the Agronomy contest and Jay Clapper from Southeast High School for helping with the Range Management Contest.

Westco also brought a new crop sprayer for the students to see how Precision Agriculture is being used on farms.  Agronomists from Westco visited with students and explained the operation of the sprayer.