One California FFA member placed in a statewide swine facility management contest.
Dillon Wood, of California High School's FFA chapter, received fifth place in the second FFA Swine Facility Management Contest on Dec. 7 in Columbia. The event was sponsored by the Missouri Pork Association (MPA), National Pork Board and the University of Missouri, a MPA release said.
The release said the contest "tested the knowledge of youth in issues pertaining to swine production - feeding, water, air quality, facility management and record keeping." Based on the principles of We Care, Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus and Transport Quality Assurance (TQA), the event is designed to teach students on how to raise pigs in a safe environment and teach skills for careers in the swine industry.
After the event, teams visited the University of Missouri's Swine Research Farm to conduct evaluations on procedures at an operational swine facility.
According to the release, two FFA chapters -- Centralia and North Shelby, of Shelbyville -- ranked first and second, respectively, in the contest. Four other individuals were recognized by the contest.