March marks the beginning of spring, a season full of warm weather and a fresh start. With Gustine FFA, this month marked the start and continuation of judging teams, a love for agriculture, and representing Gustine in the best way possible.
At the beginning of the month, on March 1st, Le Grand field day had teams such as Floral and Farm Power competing. Congratulations to Justin Lopes for placing 10th in the Le Grand FFA Farm Power Contest, as well as the floral judging team, which placed 5th in construction!
To advocate for agriculture is one of the jobs of FFA. On March 6th, students volunteered to go to Gustine Elementary School to read to kids for Read Across America. This was a time to socialize and talk with kids, along with answering questions about agriculture.
Also on March 6th, ROP Portfolio day was held at Gustine High School. Here, students got to create a job portfolio and go through a mock interview to give them real-life experiences. Thank you to all judges who interviewed the GHS students.
On March 8th, Gustine FFA members on the Livestock, Farm Power, and Meats Judging teams all went to UC Davis Field day to compete in their judging teams. Carson Bell, Natalie Ventura, Freddy Sanchez, Avery Etheridge, and Heston Duarte represented the livestock judging team. Farm Power placed 16th overall with members Dominic Alves, Jeffery Camara, Hector Flores, and Justin Lopes. The meat judging team had Malia Huhane, Emilia Galindo, Westyn Verissimo, Juliana Martinez, and Isabella Cortez. Congratulations to Isabella Cortez for winning first high individual in judging! As a team, they placed 12th overall. The floral team had members Alina Camacho, Cheyanne Verissimo, Kylee Lopes, and Gimena Ponce competing at Stagg High School! Congratulations to all judging teams for representing Gustine FFA
On March 14th, Gustine FFA had two members running for the Central Region Officer position. Baylor Bloom and Oscar Vergara. Both members worked extremely hard to prepare for the interview, and Oscar Vergara was slated for the position of Sentinel. Congratulations to these two members for making Gustine FFA proud!
On March 15th, judging teams competed at Merced Field Day. Farm Power participated in the Merced College/ Los Banos FFA Field day at Merced College. Michelle Nunes, Justin Lopes, Hector Flores, and Dominic Alves competed and placed 3rd. Madeline Alves went to the MJC Dairy Judging competition and placed 3rd overall for the senior division, 3rd in the senior division for heifers, 3rd senior division for cows, and 2nd for reasons. Congratulations, Madeline, on all your hard work. The Floral Judging team also had a great day at MJC and qualified for the final round!
March 29th was the very much looked forward to competition, Reedley College Field Day. Gustine FFA had Farm Power, Soil, and Livestock judging competitions. Congratulations to the Farm Power team, consisting of Hector Flores, Dominic Alves, Jeffery Camara, and Justin Lopes. They placed 17th overall. Congratulations! Soil Judging was composed of Hazelmarie Lopes, Elizabeth Meza, Esmeralda Solano, and Yasmin Martinez. Great Job to them for pacing the 5th high team in pits 2 and 3!
The endless opportunities that Gustine FFA offers empower students to develop leadership skills, explore agricultural pathways, and build lifelong connections within their community. Hands-on experiences and dedicated membership help students achieve their full potential and become future leaders in agriculture and beyond.
