Artwork by
Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

MU students reach high accomplishments at Nationals
By Tyne Morgan, Corner Post staff

Three University of Missouri students received prestigious honors at the 2004 National FFA Convention.

Tyler Francis, freshman of Norborne, Benjamin French, sophomore of Fulton, and Ashley Lyon, sophomore of Norborne, all reached high goals at the convention in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 27-29, 2004.

All three FFA members were National Proficiency finalists. Francis and French both were National Proficiency winners. Francis and Lyon received the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica.

Francis said, “Being a finalist in one of the goals I set for myself when I was a freshman in high school. I have worked towards this goal for four years and finally reached it. I never imagined that my program would be good enough to be a national winner. I am very excited about my accomplishment.”

Francis’ proficiency award was in Grain Production Placement. His supervised agricultural experience consists of working for his father and grandfather on a 1200-acre row crop and cattle backgrounding operation. He also works for the J.C. Robinson seed company at one of their seed research facilities.

French was a proficiency finalist in Wildlife Production and Management Placement.

The Costa Rica trip, which will be in June, includes visits to the Arenal volcano, a rain forest, a medicinal plant farm, the hidalgo family hot springs, a banana and pineapple plantation, the Central American Livestock Research Center and other places that will benefit each participant’s overall learning experience.

“I will benefit from the trip because I will have experience another culture as well as an agriculture industry that is very different from our own,” Lyon said.

“I will learn to appreciate the innovations that have made American agriculture great and I will understand a new culture and set of beliefs. These will make me a more educated, more rounded person, with an understanding that will help me in my future endeavors as I plan to be involved with international trade.”

Each finalist went through an interview process for his or her proficiency area. Then, each member had the option to do a second interview for the Costa Rica trip. The finalists had to also complete an application prior to the convention for both areas.

The winners were announced Oct. 29, 2004.

back to archive