By Oscar Vergara Vazquez
Gustine FFA Reporter
Gustine FFA has proudly done it again, accomplishing more than the minimum and far more than expected. Our members proved their hard work through judging teams, speaking competitions, and livestock showmanship. Several months of practice paid off with awards, experiences, and skill development. At the Merced Spring Fair, our poultry exhibitors kicked things off with a fifth‑place finish in overall broilers and top honors in game birds and advanced showmanship. The excitement continued in the swine barn, with members earning Reserve FFA, Champion Dark Cross, Champion Light Cross, and Champion Chapter Group, making the day an unforgettable experience. Genesis Gonzales, Rabbit FFA Novice Champion Showman, shares, “Joining FFA has been an enjoyable experience that has created lasting memories I’ll always value. Being able to win along the way has made it even more meaningful and exciting, making every moment in FFA even better to look back on.” The chapter also celebrated fourteen members whose years of dedication and consistent work in AET allowed them to receive their State FFA Degree. On our dairy show team, Michelle Nunes placed fifth and Josie Nunes placed sixth in Advanced Showmanship. In the beef novice division, Jonah Souza won FFA Novice Showmanship, while Justin Lopes, chapter sentinel, earned the title of Small Animal Master Showman. Also, the goat show team placed second in Chapter Group.
We also celebrated even more achievements: Adamairs Sierra earned the Outstanding Floral Exhibitor title, Jeff Camara took home the Most Innovative Ag Mechanics Project, and Jonah Souza was named the Outstanding Beef Exhibitor. Six of our senior members received well‑deserved scholarships, the swine show team earned a clean barn award, and Juliana Martinez gave a powerful presentation of her Heritage Foundation Speech. She expresses, “As Gustine FFA comes to the end of another eventful year, it’s been a great time to be a member of this organization. I was recently re-elected to the Chapter office, elected into the Sectional Office, and also represented livestock showmen as a Merced County Spring Fair Heritage Speech Member. These activities have given me the opportunity to represent my chapter, town, and community, and I encourage every GHS student to get involved.”
Beyond livestock, Gustine FFA continued to shine in leadership and career development. The chapter elected new members for the 2026–2027 Officer Team after an enthusiastic meeting where candidates shared their one‑minute speeches to convince members to vote for them. From football references to promises of always defending them from the corner, our members chose Carson Bell, Juliana Martinez, Natalie Ventura, Justin Lopes, Madeline Alves, and Dominic Alves to represent our upcoming school year. We also had four members run for sectional office, resulting in Juliana Martinez being elected as Great River Valley Reporter. The soil and land evaluation team represented the chapter at Fresno State Field Day, earning fifth place.
Once again, Gustine FFA celebrates having an El Credo de FFA state champion, with Carlos Rangel becoming the second member to earn this accomplishment, hoping to inspire others to make it a tradition. He says, “Being able to compete in El Credo de FFA has taught me the value of commitment and the importance of agriculture. It also made me discover different skills in myself that I had not realized. I want to thank my teacher, Mr. Baffuno, for giving me guidance and advice, as well as the school’s Spanish department for helping me throughout the competition to improve my cognitive and speaking abilities and for helping me develop as a person. This creed really helped me grow and planted in me the seed of knowledge that germinated into positioning Gustine as a state champion.” We also had Baylor Bloom receive an honorary award from the Central Region for receiving 3 state awards, including: Star Agribusiness Award, Ag Services Proficiency, and Diversified Crop Production Placement. And speaking of traditions, Farm Power had another great year at state finals, with Justin Lopes earning first in troubleshooting, Hector Flores placing second in the general test, and Colton Bloom following with third. Together, the team earned first overall in the general test and fourth overall in the entire competition. Hector Flores shares, “We are going to sweep the leaderboard next year.”
Altogether, this month showed just how active, committed, and talented Gustine FFA truly is. From livestock to leadership roles, every achievement added to a legacy in our chapter, proving that small towns can make great impacts.
