Stevensville FFA team wins state title

The Stevensville FFA Chapter returned home from the 95th Montana State FFA Convention with a state championship title in Agronomy — marking a major victory for the program and the community.  

Stevensville High School students Kyra DesJarlais, Teigen Hackett, Adelaide Meyer, and Tasia Rohbock have spent the past year dedicating countless hours to preparing for this moment. Their hard work paid off as they captured the state title, earning the opportunity to represent Montana at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this October. It’s a rare and prestigious accomplishment — only state champions advance to nationals — and this marks Stevensville’s first state title since 2015.

The team’s road to victory was anything but easy. Over the past two years, DesJarlais, Hackett, Meyer, and Rohbock have mastered an impressive array of skills, including identifying over 100 different agronomic plants and seeds, diagnosing crop diseases and disorders, recognizing crop insects, and understanding soil nutrition and fertilizer management.

Their competitive season began last fall at the Montana FFA Ag Expo, where they placed third among 40 schools. From there, the team went on a winning streak, capturing first-place honors at the KMON contests in Great Falls in January, the Western District contests in Kalispell in March, and the statewide Conrad Crops and Mechanics Seminar.

Heading into the state competition, Stevensville knew they faced tough competition. Shields Valley, the defending state champions, returned with three of their four team members from last year’s title run. Agronomy is considered one of the five premier contests in Montana FFA, drawing teams from nearly all 115 chapters statewide. To qualify for state, teams must place in the top half of their district competitions — making the state field incredibly competitive.

Now, with a state championship secured, Stevensville will proudly represent Montana at the National FFA Convention this fall in Indianapolis, Indiana.

This latest title adds to Stevensville FFA’s history of state championships, which include:

• Agronomy — 2015

• Agricultural Issues — 2013, 2011, 2009

• Extemporaneous Speaking — 2007

• Horse Evaluation — 2005

• Livestock Evaluation — 1999, 1955

The Stevensville FFA Chapter, chartered in 1930, is the oldest FFA chapter in the Bitterroot Valley and currently ranks as the fourth-largest chapter in Montana. With 212 members enrolled in agricultural education courses from grades 7-12, the chapter continues to thrive under the leadership of advisors and agriculture educators Josette Hackett and Trevor Motley.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based youth leadership development organization with more than one million student members across 9,163 local chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.