After months of early-morning practices and hard study, the Powell-Shoshone FFA teams finally saw all their hard work pay off in Cheyenne during the State FFA competition. It was filled with determined FFA members this past April.
The Wyoming FFA State Convention is an annual statewide gathering of more than 2,200 FFA members, advisors, and supporters from roughly 64 chapters throughout Wyoming. The 2026 Wyoming FFA State Convention took place from April 6-11.
“What I liked most about State FFA was getting to meet and talk to new people,” sophomore Hayden Hinojosa said. “There are so many people there in FFA just like you, all around FFA, so it’s super fun to get to know those people and connect with the things you have in common.”
One of the essential skills to have for FFA competitions is leadership, which these students demonstrate through their weekly practices and chapter meetings. Hinojosa is one of the many students on the ENR team and she competed Wednesday in State.
“These FFA students put in a lot of work leading up to state,” FFA advisor Mr. Benjamin Curdy said. “Some of these teams started meeting before or after school as early as last August. They practice weekly as a team and study independently. They also travel to various contests around the state to practice contests in preparation.”
FFA helps so many in their skills for the environment, animals, mechanics, and leadership. The skills students develop in FFA help with daily activities and will go a long way as they get older.
Visocky is on the livestock judging team. FFA isn’t just about developing public speaking skills but also a great way to make new friends from other FFA chapters.
“My favorite part of state FFA was definitely meeting new people and making friends from all over Wyoming,” Visocky said. “There are so many people you will meet in this organization.”
These students are known for stepping out of their comfort zones, whether they are speaking in front of a small audience or speaking in front of a large crowd on stage. FFA gives these students new opportunities to do and experience for themselves.
“FFA has given me so many opportunities to try new things that I never would have tried otherwise,” junior Tanis Ganist said. “For example, I competed in wool judging at state. I never would have imagined how much fun I had competing in that CDE.”
Participants find FFA an exciting, fun experience, but learn it requires serious dedication and lots of hard work, which is these students’ specialty.
“The way I plan to use this year’s state experience to improve is mainly through motivation,” Mr. Curdy said. “When members attend state conventions and see the opportunities that exist, it’s very motivational for them. We had a lot of younger members attend this year, and they came back from that experience excited about trying harder in the coming year.”
