Approximately 9,000 Texas FFA members from across the state traveled to Stephenville, Texas on March 27, 2014 for the Tarleton State University Invitational Career Development Event.
This year marked the 42nd year Tarleton’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Science hosted the statewide judging contest. The annual event took place on the Tarleton campus, along with the university’s Agricultural Center, Horticulture Center, Hunewell Ranch, the Southwest Regional Dairy Center, Lone Star Arena and Stephenville City Park. Hundreds of Tarleton students served as group leaders and contest mentors to the 400-plus high schools in attendance.
The invitational serves as a practice for FFA students. The event offers FFA members 17 contests in which they can compete including: livestock, poultry, meats, wool, entomology, land, range, wildlife and recreation management, homesite evaluation, nursery/landscape, dairy cattle, horse, milk quality and products, farm business management, vet science, floriculture, and environmental and natural resources.
Several $1,000 scholarships were presented, along with a $2,000 sweepstakes agricultural scholarship.