TEMPLETON (October 29, 2012)-Winners of the National FFA Livestock Evaluation Career Development Event were announced on Friday in Indianapolis, Indiana at the 85^th National FFA Convention.

Templeton FFA was named the Reserve National Champion Team.  The team, comprised of Kayla Hildebrand, Vanessa Soto, Amy Hanks, and Kayla Welcher, represented the state of California as the reigning state champions at the event.  Each team member received a ranking of Gold at the prestigious competition where they competed against teams representing 43 additional states from across the nation.  Senior, Kayla Hildebrand, was also named 2^nd high individual in the nation.

The National Livestock CDE is a competitive event which tests the students’ ability to select and evaluate livestock.  Event components include eight evaluation classes of beef, sheep, swine, and goats; oral placement reasons on four classes; selection of keep and cull animals from three classes utilizing performance records; and a written exam on livestock production.  A team activity, utilizing reproductive and marketing information, demonstrates the teams’ livestock selection ability. 

The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 540,379 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7, 489 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.