Rigby FFA students dominate national competition, bring home top honors
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EDITOR’S NOTE: “From the Field” is a weekly feature bringing you the latest agriculture news in eastern Idaho.
RIGBY — Rigby Future Farmers of America students returned from a national competition over the weekend, where they took away top honors.
The 99th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana took place over eight days from Oct. 17-24. Five career development teams attended, including a veterinary science team, a dairy cattle evaluation team, an environmental and natural resources team, an agricultural communications team and a forestry team.
The veterinary science team took first place. All four team members finished among the top 10 individuals in the nation, according to a news release from the Rigby FFA. Emily Jossi earned first place and her brother, Blake, finished second. The two other team members, Avery Oswald and Anna Warner, placed fifth and sixth place, respectively.
In an interview with EastIdahoNews.com, Emily says she’s “pleasantly shocked” by the win and is still processing it.
“As shocked as I am, I have to say that I’m not surprised that I had the honor to compete with such amazing individuals — not just my brother, Blake, but also Avery and Anna. They’re so intelligent, talented and dedicated that we really couldn’t have done it without them,” Emily says.
Blake says each student was ranked individually at the tournament, and their individual scores were added up to determine the team’s score as a whole.
The contest included portions focused on emergency care and lab research with tasks they had to complete in a certain amount of time. In the emergency care portion, Blake says a panel of judges gave them a scenario involving a German Shepherd that got hit by a car. They had to answer a series of questions about how to address the problem and then demonstrated in a hands-on practicum.
In the laboratory setting, Blake says they learned how to notch a piglet’s ear, which gives it a number for identification purposes. They also demonstrated an intravenous injection of a rat’s tail for the purpose of collecting a blood sample, or administering medication or experimental compounds.
The competition concluded with a team activity that involved telling a panel of judges what they learned. Each team member took turns presenting on different aspects of the project. The judges asked questions to test the students on their general knowledge of the subject.
Blake says the challenges were difficult and it was nerve-racking at times, but he’s ecstatic about winning first place out of 45 other teams across the nation.
He recalls how he felt when he learned all of his teammates ranked in the top 10.
“I was in so much shock, I can’t even describe it,” says Blake. “It was the most unreal experience I’ve ever had.”
‘It’s humbling to sit among greatness’
The other teams had their own projects related to their field of study. The Dairy Cattle Evaluation team placed second in the nation, and Rigby’s Environmental and Natural Resources team earned sixth place nationally. The Agricultural Communications team earned eighth place, and the Forestry team walked away with a national silver rating.
Avery Oswald and Brylie Spaulding earned fifth place for their agriscience fair project, which examined the effects of music on equine heart rates.
Three students were recognized as national proficiency finalists. Kate Barney and Bry Waddoups were the runner-ups. Vincent Kisner was named national champion in agricultural mechanics design and fabrication.
This award is a collective recognition of his welding work over the last three years as an employee at Black Venom Products, an agricultural machinery manufacturer in Idaho Falls.
A clip of him winning the award is included in an interview above. Kisner says “it was an amazing feeling” to be recognized with this award.
“If you watch the video, you’ll see me look back at Mr. Godfrey (Rigby FFA advisor). My mouth drops, and I run up to the front to get my award,” Kisner says.
Godfrey says Vincent turned to him in that moment on stage and said, “I’m so happy.”
Kisner grew up working alongside his grandfather, Garland, from whom he learned these skills. Together, they made trailers and farm equipment out of scrap metal.
Garland passed away this summer at age 79 after a fall. Vincent, who has lived with his grandpa since he was 2, was at a competition in Moscow at the time, and the news hit him pretty hard.
Vincent learned he was a national proficiency finalist about a month later. During an interview with judges ahead of the competition, he spoke of his grandfather and everything he had taught him. He says winning this award four months after Garland’s passing is a fitting tribute to his mentor.
“Winning this award felt like I got a piece of him back,” Vincent says.
Vincent talked about his grandfather in another interview after the ceremony, and Vincent says the crowded room went silent.
Emily and Vincent recently graduated from Rigby High School, and they say they’re grateful for all the leadership skills and life lessons they’ve learned through their participation in FFA.
Emily is currently pursuing an agribusiness degree through the College of Southern Idaho. Vincent is pursuing mechanical engineering at Utah State University. He plans to continue working at Black Venom Products as a student and hopes to eventually open his own shop just like the one his grandfather owned.
“Welding is really hard on your body,” Vincent explains. “Going into the design side gives me more longevity so I can do what I love the rest of my life.”
More than 600 students are enrolled in Rigby High School’s FFA program, which is designed to provide skill-building and leadership opportunities.
As Godfrey reflects on his experience with the FFA students, he says, “It’s humbling to sit among greatness.”
“The most notable successes we have aren’t in plaques or banners. It’s the relationships that are built with people and the skills and confidence they walk away with, knowing that if I surround myself with the right people and work really hard, I can accomplish anything,” Godfrey says.
AG AT-A-GLANCE
National FFA officer team elected during 99th National FFA Convention & Expo
The following is an excerpt of a news release from the National FFA organization.
INDIANAPOLIS — The 2026-27 National FFA Officer Team was elected last week during the final session of the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis and one of them is from Idaho.
Other officers are from Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota and Ohio. The members were selected from 41 candidates vying for the honor and will lead the organization next year.
Here’s the full list:
- Josie Jennings of Ohio was elected national president. She is a member of the Global Impact FFA Chapter.
- Cameron Addington of Minnesota was elected national secretary. He is a member of the Cannon Falls FFA Chapter.
- Aiden Manley of Kentucky was elected eastern region vice president. He is a member of the Menifee County FFA Chapter.
- Joshua Nelson of Idaho was elected western region vice president. He is a member of the Troy FFA Chapter.
- Jazmin Palma of North Carolina was elected southern region vice president. She is a member of the Uwharrie Charter Academy FFA Chapter.
- Teagan Erbele of North Dakota was elected central region vice president. She is a member of the Napoleon FFA Chapter.
Idaho Dept. of Water Resources hosting water summit
The following is a news release from the Idaho Dept. of Water Resources.
BOISE — The Idaho Department of Water Resources and Boise State University will host the Idaho Fall Water Summit.
The two-day event is happening on Nov. 17 and 18 and will be held in the Student Union Building at Boise State University. It will focus on Idaho’s water landscape. The snow drought across this year raised urgent questions about what happened, what it means for the year ahead, and what it signals for our longer-term water future.
The summit will highlight cutting-edge, innovative, water resources research via presentations and a student poster session. This meeting builds on the previously held Idaho Falls Water Supply Meeting and will provide a recap of the water supply from the previous water year and provide climate and water supply outlook information for the coming water year.
To register or learn more, click here.
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