Hershey FFA members delivered an outstanding performance at the District Career Development Events (CDEs) held Wednesday in North Platte, earning top finishes, championship honors, and multiple qualifications for the Nebraska State FFA CDE competitions.
From the welding shop to the judging floor, Hershey students proved their dedication, preparation, and teamwork with impressive results across four competitive events: Welding, Floriculture, Natural Resources, and Meat Evaluation.
Hershey FFA’s Welding team had a dominant showing, finishing as District Runner-Up and punching their ticket to the state contest. Individual highlights included:
Team Overall: District Runner-Up — State Qualifier
MIG Welding: Ty Vaughn — District Champion
TIG Welding: Trey Allison — 5th Place Overall
Oxy-Acetylene (OA) Welding: Gage Gartrell — 2nd Place Overall
Hershey’s Floriculture team earned a strong 4th place finish overall, qualifying for state while bringing home multiple ribbon awards:
Team Overall: 4th Place — State Qualifier
Faith Kearney: 6th Overall — Purple Ribbon
Allie O’Brien: 13th Overall — Blue Ribbon
Brynlee Dawkins: 29th Overall — Blue Ribbon
Ashlyn Allen: 49th Overall — White Ribbon
Hershey FFA’s Natural Resources teams competed at an elite level, with Hershey #1 earning the district title and Hershey #2 narrowly missing a higher finish after a tiebreaker.
Hershey #1: Kolton Palm, Jacob Murphy, Dillon Lorensen, Dalton Sterner
District Champion Team — State Qualifier
Hershey #2: Christian Allen, Coy Corfield, Kale DaMoude, Noah Murdock
5th Overall (lost tiebreaker)
Christian Allen — Individual District Champion
Hershey FFA’s Meat Evaluation team placed 6th overall, earning recognition as a State Alternate.
Team Overall: 6th Place — State Alternate
Kolton Palm: White Ribbon
Sam Sachtjen: White Ribbon
Layla Sanchez: White Ribbon
These results reflect the time and commitment Hershey students have invested in sharpening their skills and representing their chapter with pride. The Hershey FFA program also expressed gratitude for the staff and community support that continues to help students succeed.
A special thank you goes to Mr. Winchester, who spent early mornings each week helping prepare Hershey’s welding team for competition.
With multiple teams qualifying, one thing is clear: Hershey FFA is State Bound!
Congratulations to all Hershey FFA members on an incredible District CDE performance!