MACON, Ga. – Winners of the Meats Evaluation Career Development Event (CDE) were recognized at the 95th Georgia FFA State Convention held at the Macon Centreplex on April 27-29, 2023. 

In the senior division, Rachel Schoonover of Veterans was the state high scoring individual, followed by Jacob Ginger of Perry and Addison Fuchs of Perry finishing second and third, respectively. In the team competition, the state winner was Veterans, followed by Perry in second place and Hart County in third.

In the junior division, Camryn Graham of Veterans was the state high individual, followed by Hayden Roland of Oconee Middle and Kaylin Bailey of Veterans finishing second and third, respectively. In the team competition, the state winner was Oconee Middle, followed by Veterans in second place and Perry in third.

CDE and LDE awards are granted to FFA members and teams who have exhibited premier leadership, personal growth, and career success in a variety of competitions. The Meats Evaluation CDE is designed to develop employment skills in the meat industry, expand students’ knowledge of meat animal marketing and merchandising, and develop an understanding of appropriate meat terminology.   

The Meats Evaluation Career Development Event was sponsored at the state level by Cargill. 

All individual and team winners received a plaque and a cash award. Individual winners received $100. Second place individuals received $50 and third place individuals received $25. The winning team was awarded $2,000 travel money to attend the National FFA Convention. Additionally, the advisor of the state winning team received a $100 cash award. 

The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, changed its name in 1988 to reflect the growth and diversity of agriculture. There are nearly 860,000 FFA members nationwide. The Georgia Association has more than 80,000 members, making it the third largest Association in the nation. The FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success, through agricultural education.