Students gather in Bozeman for annual John Deere Ag Expo

Press release

Montana high school FFA members were in Bozeman during the annual Brawl of the Wild football game between the Montana State University Bobcats and University of Montana Grizzlies Nov. 17-19 at the the John Deere Agriculture Expo with 1,525 Montana FFA members, 4-H members, advisors and guests in Bozeman as the Bobcats won the game.

The ag expo offered three days of competition in Career Development Events, tours through the MSU campus, and participation in elite leadership conferences.

The event kicked off with a special Thursday night dinner featuring life coach Sarah Bohencamp, who shared her message with our students. The Foundation welcomed 40 special guests from around the Big Sky State including representatives from John Deere, Dean of the College of Agriculture Charles Boyer, and a greeting from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. The evening also provided FFA members a chance to hear from the Montana FFA Foundation's Executive Director, Jaime Edmundson and Board President Curt Robbins.

The John Deere Agriculture Exposition Livestock Judging Event is for the fifth year in a row, the largest livestock judging competition in the northwestern United States with more than 600 students participating from Montana and Wyoming.

More than 200 volunteers that served as judges and assistants throughout the week. Representatives of the Montana FFA Foundation, which coordinates the event, said they would like to thank corporate sponsor John Deere Dealers of Montana, site-host Montana State University, award sponsor Farmers Union Insurance and everyone involved in making the event a success, and that they look forward to seeing everyone back next year, Nov. 16-18.

Local students who won awards in the career development event at the exposition included:

Junior Quiz Bowl: Fourth - Big Sandy

Junior Ag Mechanics Individuals: Second - Ryle Elliot - Chinook

Junior Livestock Evaluation Teams: Fourth - Malta

Junior Agronomy Teams: Fourth - Big Sandy

Agriculture Education Individuals: Third - Bailey Gasvoda - Big Sandy