INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Thousands of FFA members from 856 FFA chapters in 12 states have finished a huge effort to connect with local farmers, and many of those members dedicated to agricultural education are celebrating this week.

The FFA Chapter Challenge, a second year National FFA Organization program sponsored by Monsanto that expanded to 12 states in 2012, challenged FFA members to meet farmers in their local communities. After building relationships and learning about the different career aspects of production agriculture, FFA members encouraged the farmers to vote for their chapter online or over the phone. Monsanto sponsors the FFA Chapter Challenge as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

“Relationships are central to growing a career in any field, let alone agriculture. We love how this program emphasizes that while also supporting FFA chapters who work the hardest,” said Rob Cooper, executive director of the National FFA Foundation. “We’re very grateful of Monsanto’s support of this program and truly believe it will be a great tool to grow tomorrow’s agriculture leaders.”

200 other FFA chapters in the 12 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas – were also notified last week that they won chapter proceeds in the two month competition. The top chapter in each state received a $2,500 FFA certificate, while chapters ranked second to tenth in each state received FFA certificates worth between $1,000 and $2,000. 80 chapters who didn’t score in their state’s top-10 also won $1,000. Complete results, state-by-state, are available on the FFA Chapter Challenge website.

Voting for the 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge began Jan. 16 and finished Feb. 29, with over 10,000 votes coming in during the final week of competition.

FMC hosts youth national anthem singing contest 

Philadelphia, Pa. —FMC Corporation announces its “Stand and Be Heard Anthem Singing Contest,” an opportunity for students in agriculture to showcase their patriotic singing skills for a chance to win scholarship prizes. Any member of a national agricultural student organization is invited to submit an audition video singing the National Anthem. Participants will have from March 15 through June 15, 2012 to submit their entry online at www.FMCcrop.com/contest

Entrants of the “Stand and Be Heard Anthem Singing Contest” must be a member of a national ag-related student organization, such as FFA, 4-H or a student NAMA chapter, with plans to pursue a career in agriculture or agribusiness. Entries received between March 15 and June 15 will be posted to the contest webpage and a public online voting phase to determine the finalists begins on July 2. Anyone will be able to go online to www.FMCcrop.com/contest to vote to determine the top four finalists. Finalists will be announced on Aug. 22.

Videotaped interviews and performances of the four finalists will then be aired on national agricultural TV with online voting to determine the grand prize winner. Voting for finalists will take place between September 24 and October 19. Three of the finalists will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship. The grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship. Winners will be announced on Oct. 24.

FMC Corporation has additional plans to invest in farming’s future with the anticipated EPA registration (EPA registration is currently pending) of two new herbicides, Anthem and Anthem ATZ, in the fourth quarter of 2012. 

Complete contest details are available online at www.FMCcrop.com/contest

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Andrea Ledgerwood of Angola and Travis Koester of Wadesville are the state winners of the 2012 youth essay contest sponsored by Sen. Richard Lugar, Indiana Farm Bureau Inc. and Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance.

A total of 595 eighth graders from 31 counties participated in this year’s contest. Ledgerwood, who is the daughter of Bob and Lisa Ledgerwood, attends Prairie Heights Middle School. Koester, the son of Dale and Lisa Koester, attends St. Wendel Catholic School.

As state winners, both students will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. 

“The Role of the Farm in a Healthy Diet” was the theme for the essay contest, according to IFB 2nd Vice President Isabella Chism. Chism chairs the Women’s Leadership Committee, which is in charge of the annual contest.

The winners were announced March 9 at IFB’s annual Spring Conference.

One boy and girl were chosen as finalists from each of Indiana Farm Bureau’s 10 districts, and the state winners were chosen from that pool of 20 finalists. Each of the finalists wins a $50 U.S. Savings Bond. The other finalists are:

•District 1: Kyle Venditti of Crown Point, Taft Middle School; Rachel Stoner of Valparaiso, Morgan Township Middle School.

•District 2: In addition to Ledgerwood, Luke Lashure of Fort Wayne, St. Joseph Hessen Cassell.

•District 3: Ross Kindig of Brook, South Newton Middle School; Grace Ringer of Chalmers, Frontier Jr./Sr. High School.

•District 4: Carley Myers of Monroe, Adams Central; Will Harris of Kokomo, Northwestern Middle School.

•District 5: Jonathan Meredith of Danville, Cascade Middle School; Bailey Hayes of Rockville, Rockville Jr./Sr. High School.

•District 6: Aiden Foran of Indianapolis, Immaculate Heart of Mary; Karsyn Gaynor of Indianapolis, Immaculate Heart of Mary.

•District 7: Courtney Brown of Center Point, Clay City Jr./Sr. High School; Sam Ellis of Bloomington, Bachelor Middle School.

•District 8: Brevin Runnebohn of Milroy, Benjamin Rush Middle School; Elizabeth Field of Rushville, Benjamin Rush Middle School.

•District 9: In addition to Koester, Halie Klueg of Evansville, Thompkins Middle School.

•District 10: Anne Franke of Seymour, Immanuel Lutheran; Jerry Clayton of Vevay, Switzerland County Middle School.