The Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter at Clay County High School has done it again!

For years now, our FFA students have been in the news finishing top in their class in contests that deal with farm management and other genres dealing with wildlife, plants, soil management and grassland conditions.  Earlier this year, students from CCHS competed in the West Virginia Grassland Evaluation Contest at WVU Jackson’s Mill.  This contest, as well as the national contest, was developed due to the need for better knowledge of grassland management.  This is a serious need in our country due to the ever growing problems of pollution and wise uses of grassland will improve water quality and the overall health of a population.  Productive land will benefit people in the country as well as the city.

For a person to survive, there are two needs – fresh water and food. Without proper land management of grass lands and forests, our ability to survive becomes problematic. Our food and  water supplies are essential, always have been and must be protected.  At Jackson’s Mill, students pitted their abilities against some of the best FFA teams in the state.  The teams were given detailed scenarios of a land owner that they had to evaluate and determine if their land was producing the necessary needs of the livestock, and participants had to give the owner recommendations as to how to better his or her property.

The Clay FFA took to the fields, and when the cutting was done, they came in a close second place just nine points behind Ravenswood who placed first overall. Ten teams participated and rounding out the top five were Ravenswood 1^st , Clay FFA 2^nd, Cabell Midland 3^rd, Fayette County 4^th and Ripley FFA 5^th.   With the second place finish, the Clay team was eligible to participate in the Mid-America grassland competition in Springfield, Missouri on June 3^rd-8^th.  So, it was then on to the big dance. The team consisting of Clarissa Keiffer, Samantha Hicks, Darren Ray, Isaac Childers, and coach Mike Shamblin put Clay County WV on the map in St Louis.

Just as in state competition, the same rules and regulations applied, except this time, the CCHS team would have to butt heads with the best in the nation. Kelsey Flinn, FFA adviser and Vocational Agriculture teacher, and coach Mike Shamblin really went above and beyond to get these students ready for this opportunity. The pressure was on because the national competition is like the ultimate championship in survival of a country. When it was all over and the scores were announced, the Clay FFA team was the top scoring FFA team. They took first place overall and individually Clarissa Keiffer was 2^nd, Samantha Hicks was 4^th, Darren Day was 8^th and Isaac Childers was 15^th.

Congratulations to this team of fine young men and women who have dedicated their time and efforts to learning all they can about our grass and forest lands.  This knowledge in turn benefits livestock, wildlife and ultimately the daily lives of millions of people.  Without people that continue to look for ways to better our lands, the ecosystem will fail and the lives of every one of us will be effected.  Congratulations once again to the team and to the coaches; CCHS FFA National Champions has quite a nice ring to it!  Clay County students have excelled in academics and are well known throughout the nation and the state from FFA to politics as some of the finest and brightest students who don’t mess around; they come to win, and they do just that.