Nearly 180 students from 18 schools competed in last week’s south-central district FFA career development events in agronomy, poultry, and floriculture at Marion High School.

Marion-Florence FFA coordinated the poultry event, Centre’s chapter staged the agronomy contest, and Wellington’s helped with floriculture.

Poultry competitors were required to evaluate and place two classes of chickens, identify 10 retail cuts of chicken, use a candling light to examine eggs for defects, evaluate two classes of processed breaded poultry meat for retail suitability, evaluate 10 broiler carcasses, evaluate and grade eggs, take a written test, and complete a team problem-solving activity, Marion-Florence FFA advisor Mark Meyer said.

A Marion-Florence greenhand team of Devin Soyez, Kimberly Vanderzanden, Joseph Nickel, and Cameron Steward placed eighth in the poultry event.

Their senior team placed eighth overall in senior poultry.

Helping coordinate the poultry event were Noah Kukuk, Eli Hett, Noah Dalrymple, and Skylar Thornbro.

Centre’s greenhand team of Tyler Nickel, Cailey Barney, Dakota Gardner, Lacey Wingerd, Elias Jirak, Cameron Spohn, Cecilia Rziha, Dillon Knepp, Lane Methvin, and Samantha Engler placed sixth overall in greenhand poultry exam.

Centre FFA members who helped with the agronomy event were Zach Barney, Becca Casey, Jacob Bittle, Payton Harms, and Austin Peterson.

Hillsboro’s greenhand floriculture team placed third overall, and first overall in poultry.

Goessel’s greenhand team placed ninth overall in poultry. Their senior team placed sixth overall.