From left to right: River Yingst, Kiera Cowger, Brialey Shuler, Eli Heistand, and Meagan Lotz
Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Lincoln Land Livestock CDE
On April 9, Thursday, 2026, our Livestock Judging Team (pictured above) traveled to Taylorville to compete in Lincoln Land Community College’s contest.
The livestock evaluation even offers participants the chance to gain hands-on experience in evaluating and selecting livestock, including beef, cattle, swine, sheep, and meat goats. These events are designed to prepare students for careers in agriculture by testing their technical knowledge, leadership abilities, and teamwork skills. With 104 teams competing, our team placed 50th overall.
A special shoutout to Brialey Shuler, who placed 109th out of 564 individuals, an amazing accomplishment! Other members were River Yingst, Meagan Lotz, Kiera Cowger, and Eli Heistand.
Lake Land Horticulture CDE
On April 8th, the Horticulture Team competed at the Invitational Career Development Event hosted by Lake Land College. The team earned an impressive 3rd place overall, with Gianna finishing 9th individually.
Students showcased their skills by identifying plants and equipment and completing a floral design practicum.
Newton FFA Invitational
On Friday, April 10, the FFA Livestock Judging Team attended the Newton Invitational Livestock Contest. This event provided students with valuable hands-on experience evaluating and selecting livestock, including beef, cattle, swine, and sheep. Through these evaluations, students sharpen their ability to make accurate observations, identify desirable traits, and make informed decisions. The team earned 4th place overall in Section 19.
Shout out to Brialey Shuler, placing 2nd overall individually in the Section!
From left to right: Eli Heistand, Keira Cowger, Meagan Lotz, Brialey Shuler, River Yingst, Gianna Carrow, and Morgan Dippold
Section 19 Horticulture CDE at Mt. Vernon
On April 14th, the Horticulture team competed in the Section 19 Career Development Event held at Mt. Vernon High School. Students showcased their skills by completing a written exam, identifying a variety of plants, and evaluating four plant classes, ranking each from best to worst.
The team earned an impressive 2nd-place overall finish, with Gianna placing 6th individually. Great work by all involved–we’re proud of your continued growth and success!
Murray State Field Day
This group had a great experience on April 15th, at Murray State University!
While there, they competed in two events–our Livestock Judging team brought home 5th place overall, and the Floriculture team earned 6th place overall!
It was awesome to see our students compete against teams from multiple states and represent our program so well. With over 80 teams in attendance, this was no small accomplishment!
Livestock team (left): Meagan Lots, Brialey Shuler, Kiera Cowger, and River Yingst; Floriculture team (right): Andrew Reynolds, Morgan Dippold, Krosby Horath, Gianna Carrow, Reese Bushue
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