By NATHAN WATSON
Escalon FFA Reporter
Members of the Escalon FFA were overjoyed to attend the 98th annual California FFA State Conference. Recently, 20 Escalon FFA students traveled to Ontario, California, to attend the annual FFA state conference. This year’s conference marked a new beginning and tremendous growth for all students who attended, as reflected in the theme “Dawn”.
These students had the opportunity to meet new people, listen to impressive keynote speakers, including Dr. Temple Grandin and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, and speak with many agriculture industry professionals across a variety of fields. Several members also got the opportunity to see some of their hard work throughout the year acknowledged in front of the entire state FFA. These honorees included Sofia Da Silva and Caroline Viera, who both advanced to the state finals with their Agriscience research projects; Sofia’s food science project placed third in the state. Caroline Viera, along with Trenton Silva, also had the opportunity to represent the Escalon FFA as delegates, where they participated in committees and cast votes for the new 2026-27 California FFA state officers.
Additionally, Briley Silva helped represent Escalon as a member of the State Conference Courtesy Corps. Several other students also showcased their hard work and talent, including Matix Trimble and Rebecca Wampler, who participated on stage at the “FFA’s Got Talent” state conference show, where they demonstrated their vocal and musical skills by performing “You Look Like You Love Me” by Ella Langley.
Finally, senior Wyatt Hackney won the state-level proficiency award for his extensive work on his Supervised Agricultural Experience project in the Agricultural Processing category, which required many hours of dedication and multiple comprehensive interviews.
All of these students, and more, demonstrated professionalism, commitment, and a growth mindset as they represented the town of Escalon at this state conference. As the busy spring season continues for Escalon FFA, many new events are coming up, including state finals for numerous Career Development Teams, chapter and sectional officer elections, and the annual Escalon FFA banquet. The chapter is extremely proud of all that has been accomplished so far this year and is eager to continue impressing at upcoming events.
