At the 2020 Wood County Fair, 672 FFA crop, agricultural engineering, research, horticultural, SAE/FFA photo story boards and agricultural science projects were on display at the Junior Fair Building.
The Wood County Fair FFA display by Bowling Green, Eastwood, Elmwood, Otsego and Penta Career Center, was one of the best and largest of any county fair in Ohio.
A total of 553 agronomy, horticulture and ag science projects were displayed. Entries in this area included grain, fruits and vegetables, floral, hay, and research projects. These projects are all a result of each FFA member’s Supervised Agricultural Experience Project, conducted as a part of their agricultural education studies in high school.
The best entry in each class is the “Sweepstakes Winner” of that class. There were 27 winners this year. Bowling Green had 16, Eastwood had 3, Elmwood had 3, Otsego had 3 and Penta had 2.
Those winners are:
- Noah Veryser, Elmwood, 10 Ears Field Corn.
- Anthony Veryser, Elmwood, Shelled Corn.
- Hannah Lang, Eastwood, New Field Corn.
- Brittany Euler, Otsego, Tallest Corn Stalk.
- Erica Dauterman, BG, Soybeans.
- Lynette Bechstein, BG, New Soybeans.
- Katie Oestreich, Eastwood, Most Soybean Pods.
- Brittany Euler, Otsego, Wheat.
- Chloe Lamb, BG, Oats.
- Nate Harris, BG, Other Grain.
- Morgan Schick, BG, Alfalfa Hay.
- Konnaly Kale, BG, Clover Hay.
- Brittany Euler, Otsego, Grass Hay.
- Morgan Schick, BG, Mixed Hay.
- Chloe Lamb, BG, Fruit Project.
- Hannah Lang, BG, Vegetable Garden Project.
- Lynette Bechstein, BG, Vegetable Basket.
- Morgan Schick, BG, Honey.
- Lynette Bechstein, BG, Flower Garden.
- Hannah Betz, Penta, Floral Design.
- Gretchen Germann, BG, House Plants.
- Gretchen Germann, BG, Hanging Basket.
- Chiara Tate, Penta, Silk Floral Arrangement.
- Gretchen Germann, BG, Container Gardens.
- Chloe Lamb, BG, Other.
- Madissen Boyer, Elmwood, FFA Photo Display.
- Kaydence Meyers, Eastwood, SAE Photo Display.
There were 119 agricultural engineering projects on display. These projects were built in the agricultural engineering high school labs as part of the “hands-on” aspect of teaching agriculture.
Projects included woodworking, metalworking, construction, electricity, plastics and engines. Projects ranged from picnic tables to furniture, electrical testers to forged chisels, welded projects to hydraulic robots.
In addition to these projects, each FFA chapter displayed an educational booth highlighting their activities and promoting FFA. Six FFA benches in front of the Junior Fair Building welcomed fairgoers to the FFA display area.
The 2020 FFA Tractor Operator’s Contest was won by Nathan Harris of the Bowling Green FFA. Jacob Carpenter of Elmwood FFA was second; followed by Zach Crawford of BG FFA, third; Jesse Sundermeier of Eastwood FFA, fourth; Cole Kiefer of Eastwood FFA, fifth; and Tommy Curtis of Elmwood FFA, sixth.
The contest is a favorite of fairgoers who watch FFA members attempt to drive and back two- and four-wheeled farm implements through an obstacle course. The contest consists of three areas.
In the two-wheeled event, the contestant must drive a tractor and manure spreader out of a shed, back down a 50-foot alleyway and then manipulate the unit through a series of stakes without touching them. In the four-wheeled event, the contestant must back a tractor up to a wagon and drop in a hitch pin without moving either the tractor or wagon by hand. Then the wagon is pulled forward with the tractor and backed into a different shed. Both of these events are timed.
The third area is safety, where contestants are penalized for any safety infractions during the operation of the tractor and implements. The contest requires a lot of skill and ability, which must be practiced.
Trophies for the top three places were sponsored by the Ed and Denise Foos Family. Wood County Implement furnished the tractors, the Bern Foos family furnished the wagon, the Eastwood and Otsego FFA Chapters furnished the course markers, and the BG Agricultural Education Department furnished the manure spreader. Judges for the contest were Jacob Brown, Mark Wensink, Tom Stearns, and Nick Eckel. Special thanks to Michael Shertzer for helping to set-up the course.
