Raylee VanVoast

Horatio FFA Livestock Judging Team Crowned Arkansas State Champions

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The Livestock team evaluates and ranks cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats. They study Expected progeny differences or EPDS and use them in a given scenario to choose the best animals to keep as breeding pieces on their farms. Then they stand before strangers and articulate from memory the reasons that they made their choices. This team attends many summer camps and travels countless miles in the spring attending practice contests in Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and Arkansas. This year looked a little different as they sat in the classroom and looked at stock virtually more than any of them wanted too. But their tenacious work paid big dividends as they were named the 2021 State Champions. They were second in the virtual state qualifying contest that took them to state for eighth year in a row. Our livestock team members were: Gabbi Litchford, Raylee VanVoast, Madison Bagley, Hunter Frachiseur, Megan Midgett, Blake Sawyer and coach Nicki Litchford. Madison, Gabbi, Hunter and Raylee went on to mark as the senior team at the state contest where Madison Bagley was 2nd high individual, Hunter Frachiseur was 4th high, Raylee VanVoast was 15th, and Gabbi Litchford was 19th. They will compete in the National Competition this Fall.