A Santa Maria Future Farmers of America (FFA) team placed fourth at the recent National FFA Milk Quality and Dairy Products Contest.
The Santa Maria Milk Quality and Dairy Products Team, coached by Mark Powell, consists of high school juniors Jennifer De Leon and Ariana Romero-Gutierrez, and seniors Rosalva Diaz and Monserrat Nolasco. Nolasco, in addition to placing fourth with her team and individually, received a $750 scholarship, according to a Santa Maria Joint Union High School District press release.
The National FFA Milk Quality and Dairy Products Career Development Event is a competition during which students display the recognition, selection, and management skills necessary for making quality milk and dairy products. Participants completed a written exam on milk production and marketing, evaluated milk samples for flavor and quality, and completed milk acceptability tests, according to the district. Competitors also identified cheeses and cheese characteristics.
The Santa Maria Dairy Products Team worked its way up to the national level after winning various local and state competitions. The team represented California on Oct. 28 at the 90th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, where the competition’s winners were announced.
“It was an honor to represent Santa Maria FFA and California FFA at the national contest,” team member Diaz said in the release. “The many hours studying and working with my team has led me to realize that hard work does pay off. In my future I would like to continue to be involved in the agriculture industry and major in agriculture engineering.”
