Long hours of practice paid off for 16 Effingham County FFA members Saturday as they competed in the State Career Development Event at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton.

Vrit Patel of South Effingham Middle School placed first in the Area IV Quiz CDE and third overall in the State Quiz CDE.

Also from South Effingham Middle School, Nicholas Harley, James Whitten and Lane Wood competed in the State Junior Dairy Evaluation CDE.

Owen Graham, Zachary Harbin, Sarah Hinely and Brayden Papp of Effingham County Middle School competed in the State Junior Dairy Evaluation CDE.

Effingham County High School's Deena Diaz, Paige Gnann, Colby Malphus and Cassie Sheppard competed in the State Senior Dairy Evaluation CDE. They placed first in Area IV and Diaz was the Area IV high individual.

Also from Effingham County High School, Alyssa Almerigotti, Phillip Babbin, Jaylin Coleman and Anna Fulcher competed in the State Farm Business Management CDE. They placed first in Area IV and Babbin tallied the third-highest individual score in Area IV.

The purpose of these Career Development Events is to connect students with what is taught in the classroom to practices used in the different agricultural industries. Additionally, the competition promotes academic achievement and competence for students who seek a future in the agricultural industry. 

These events are some of the many educational activities in which the FFA members apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations. 

The Georgia FFA Association has the third-largest FFA membership in the nation with more than 36,500 members. 

FFA strives to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.