On Thursday, September 14^th, twenty-one members of the Decorah FFA attended the Tri-State Dairy and Ag Expo at NICC in Calmar. This event attracted over 470 FFA members from 39 chapters across Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Chapter members attended workshops, competed in contests, and enhanced career skills while attending the expo. Members of the Decorah FFA competed in the following contests: dairy cattle evaluation with oral reasons, dairy cattle evaluation with no-reasons, and dairy products evaluation.

Six Decorah FFA members competed in the Tri-State Dairy Expo and Northeast District FFA dairy cattle evaluation with reasons contests: Brinlee Courtney, Brody Courtney, Kiele Eberling, Anders Lovstuen, Mara Lovstuen, and Annika Schmelzer. The team consisting of Brody Courtney, Kiele Eberling, and Anders Lovstuen received 8th place overall in the tri-state dairy cattle evaluation contest and fourth place overall in the Northeast District FFA dairy evaluation contest. Anders Lovstuen and Brody Courtney placed first and tenth respectively in the Northeast District FFA dairy cattle evaluation contest.

The Decorah FFA also had eleven members participate in the dairy cattle evaluation contest with no-reasons. These members include Hadley Alexander, Andy Carolan, Madelynn Dahl, Jerikah Dodd, Karlie Einck, Braden Hemesath, William Kruse, Gabe Monroe, Isabella Schnitzler, Haley Stinson, and Thea Zidlicky. Two Decorah FFA teams placed in the top 10 in the Tri-State Dairy Expo Dairy Cattle Evaluation with no reasons contest. The team of Hadley Alexander, Madelynn Dahl, Gabe Monroe, and Isabella Schnitzler placed third overall, and the team of Jerikah Dodd, Karlie Einck, Thea Zidlicky, and Haley Stinson placed 10th overall. Gabe Monroe placed second as an individual in the Tri-State Dairy Expo cattle evaluation with no reasons contest.

Four members competed in the Tri-State Dairy and Ag Expo and Northeast Iowa FFA Milk Quality and Dairy Products Evaluation contests. Members were asked to evaluate milk quality, identify different types of cheese, and determine real versus imitation dairy products. The Decorah FFA members participating in these contests include Annika Brynsaas, Braunwyn Darrington, Ciara Wedmann, and Mara Wyatt.

The Decorah FFA had twenty-one members participate in Tri-State Dairy and Ag Expo at NICC in Calmar.

Pictured (left to right): Bottom Row: Ciara Wedmann, Madelynn Dahl, Hadley Alexander, Annika Brynsaas, Mara Wyatt, Brinlee Courtney, Kiele Eberling, Andy Carolan, and Anders Lovstuen

Back row: Brody Courtney, Gabe Monroe, Braunwyn Darrington, Mara Lovstuen, Isabella Schnitzler, Braden Hemesath, Karlie Einck, Thea Zidlicky, Annika Schmelzer, Jerikah Dodd, William Kruse, and Haley Stinson.

Anders Lovstuen (right) and Brody Courtney (left) placed first and tenth respectively in the Northeast District FFA dairy cattle evaluation contest.

The team consisting of Kiele Eberling, Brody Courtney, and Anders Lovstuen received 8 th place overall in the tri-state dairy cattle evaluation contest and fourth place overall in the Northeast District FFA dairy evaluation contest.