Seneca FFA nursery/landscape team competes at nationals

The Seneca FFA Landscaping and Nursery Career Development Team placed 13th in the country at this year’s competition at the National FFA Convention.

Jenna Goslin placed 10th overall as an individual and earned a scholarship. Levi Maierhofer, Emelia Traina and Jessica Daggett were the other team members.

The team competed at the recent National FFA Convention in Indianapolis as a result of advancing from the virtual portion of the contest in August.

The CDE covered knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the landscaping and nursery industry. Components of the competition included a written test covering plant science and landscaping knowledge. Members were required to identify more than 125 plants, 80 pieces of nursery/landscaping equipment and over 50 plant ailments. They also had to complete several practical skills assessments related to the landscaping industry including proper and safe equipment usage, wall construction and plant propagation.

In addition to technical knowledge, the event challenged students written, verbal and math skills with a series of practicums that required them to communicate with judges face-to-face as they solved problems, work as a team to solve mathematical landscaping challenges, and compose a business letter to clients.

The team advanced to nationals by virtue of winning the state Horticulture Career Development event last spring. The competition is an extension of the horticulture curriculum at Seneca High School.

The National Landscape and Nursery Career Development Event is sponsored by Kubota and Haviland Plastics.