Most people think that FFA contests are relaxed and calm, but here in Potosi, you have to fight to earn a spot on one of the teams. “Soils is definitely the most competitive out of all the contests here in Potosi,” said Mrs. Brunton, the adviser of the FFA. Soil judging is the most competitive, mainly because we are always so good at it.
In order to be on the senior team, you have to be one of the top contestants in the state. This year, three out of our four senior team contestants placed in the top 5 in the state, with our school having the 1st place overall individual. Another reason it is so competitive is that if you are on the senior team and your team places in the top five overall in the state, you get a week-long trip to Oklahoma for the national soils competition in May, which our team qualified for this year for the second year in a row.
“It’s not easy to manage this many teams. It’s super important for the kids to take on the responsibility of scheduling times to come and work with me on their particular contest because I can’t just pull them from classes to work,” said Brunton. She also said that it is very important that kids need to be serious about studying, and it is mostly up to them.
Mrs. Brunton also spends many hours outside of the classroom making study guides and tests for students so they can be prepared for the real deal, but she usually can get most of that work done during study hall or her prep hour in school and the rest is left for her to do on her own time.
She also said that the reason it is so competitive here is because of the past success of our program, and it shows kids that they can make it to the state or even national contest.
“Soil judging isn’t the only competitive contest that we participate in,” Mrs. Brunton said. “Poultry and wildlife are definitely up there with soils in terms of competitiveness.” Senior Ryan Stoney was on the short end of a cut for last year's wildlife team, where he found himself just shy of making the team, but this is not always a bad thing because this is how the poultry team came into existence.
Ryan said, “Indubitably so, I am 100% better off that I did not make the wildlife team, because our poultry team was much better and way more fun,” when asked if he now regrets not making the wildlife team. Ryan used his shortcomings and turned them into something great by founding the state-qualifying poultry team with fellow students Isaiah Groom and Kadin Walsh, who graduated in 2024.
This shows students that there is always another option if you do not make the cut, but you do need to be willing to work for success. This also shows Potosi’s excellence in FFA contests and the caliber of our contestants.