By Clarke Stackhouse | Shelby County Reporter

The Future Farmers of America teams at Thorsby High School are preparing to compete at the national level in October.

Thorsby FFA sponsor Brian Lucas said the competition is split into separate evaluations that teams participate in. He said Thorsby has three teams that are going to compete in the meat, poultry and horse evaluations.

Lucas said the students have been working incredibly hard and putting in a lot of time to prepare for the competition.

“It’s amazing what the these kids have to learn, and they time they spend learning it,” Lucas said.

The FFA competitions are split into separate evaluations that teams participate in. Lucas said Thorsby has three teams that are going to compete in the meat, poultry and horse evaluations.

Each team will work through a series of math problems, tests and real-world scenarios. Lucas said the teams finish out competitions by presenting their findings in front of a judging panel.

He said each team practices three days a week during the summer for three-hour intervals, working on practice tests and problems that Lucas has created for them.

“I make practice test after practice test after practice test,” Lucas said. “Anything to help them prepare to the best of their ability.”

Senior FFA member, Reagan Gray said she has been a member of the group since eighth grade, but this will be her first time at nationals.

She said she looks forward to the new experience and meeting other students from around the country. Gray said she is part of the meat evaluation team and that they are working hard to get ready for the competition.

“I’m proud of our whole FFA,” Gray said. “I know they have all worked really hard. I feel like we’ve earned it.”

Horse evaluation team member junior Rianna Green said she loves being a part of the tem and understanding what it takes to succeed.

“FFA is all about building bonds with people,” Green said. “It’s about teamwork. It’s not about you, it takes all of us to be successful.”

He said along with the tests and problems in the classrooms, the teams visit local farmers and industry executives to discuss and practice different real-world scenarios.

Lucas said he knows they are ready when they start to know more about their evaluation focus than they do themselves.

“I remember one girl before we left to a competition last year telling me, ‘I know more about a chicken more than I know about myself,’” Lucas said.

He said there are three competitions to go through before the teams can qualify for nationals. Lucas said the county contest is a great practice for the next round, the district eliminations. Teams must place in the top four at the district level to qualify for state, and the winners at the state level go on to compete at nationals.

Lucas said the three teams will compete in nationals on Oct. 17.

“They’ve worked hard and I think they’re ready,” Lucas said. “Now we just continue practicing and hope for the best.”