After two consecutive years of falling just short of a state championship, four Eustis-Farnam FFA members saw their determination pay off with a seventh-place national finish.
Ethan Oberg, Brecken Hecox, Bentley Stubbs and Whitney Page represented Nebraska in the Meats Evaluation and Technology Career Development Event at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis.
For three members of the team, the journey began during their freshman year. After finishing second at the state level two years in a row, the group added Hecox and made another run at qualifying for nationals.
The competition tests students on several aspects of the meat industry, including retail cut identification, carcass quality and yield grading, placing classes, a written examination and a team activity.
Preparing for the national competition required months of work. The team began practicing during the summer, including sessions lasting three hours or longer. Members also participated in a summer training trip through Kansas and Oklahoma.
An additional challenge came when three of the four team members moved on to college. Rather than ending their preparation, they continued studying together through early-morning Zoom sessions.
Eustis-Farnam FFA advisor Chad Schimmels coached two teams competing at this year’s national convention. He said watching students accomplish goals they once considered out of reach keeps him motivated.
“To be honest, it’s just watching kids achieve,” Schimmels said.
He also emphasized the responsibility that comes with representing Nebraska in national competition.
“We believe we’re representing every school, every team that showed up to an invitational contest or showed up to a district contest or showed up to state,” Schimmels said.
For the Eustis-Farnam team, the seventh-place finish capped a journey marked by setbacks, persistence and a commitment to competing among the nation’s best.
National FFA Convention coverage made possible by the Nebraska FFA Foundation and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.