Pictured above:L to R: Mallory Johnson and Kayla Gilmore
Cookeville FFA members were recognized for their hard work last week. Mallory Johnson and Kayla Gilmore were recognized as a national finalist in the agriscience fair competition. They competed in the social systems division 4 category. Abbey Strong was recognized as a national silver award winner for her proficiency area, fruit production.
Johnson and Gilmore, both sophomores, completed a project title “Is there a difference between generic and name brand food”. The purpose of this project was to test if people could determinethe difference between generic food products and name brand products. The project was run by testing a group of ten people with seven different food products. The experiment was conducted to see if people could determine the difference of the types of products by sight and taste. The National FFA Agriscience Fair recognizes students who gain real-world, hands-on experiences in agricultural enterprises. Students use scientific principles and emerging technologies to solve complex problems related to agriculture, food and natural resources.
Strong’s project is in the fruit production area. Abbey grow’s strawberries and blueberries at her parents, as well as at the nursing facility where she worked. Abbey and her family built boxes to hold the plants, and has increased production over the last couple of years to 120 strawberry plants. Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs), have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers. Students compete in areas ranging from agricultural communications to wildlife management
Pictured above: Abbey Strong