Emily Gattis with her Champion Hereford Heifer, “Cady”, after they won the Southeast Empire Livestock Show in Lawrenceville.
Emily Gattis recently received Grand Champion Junior and Open Heifer in the Southeast Empire Hereford Cattle Show. The event was held at Gwinnett County Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville, GA on September 16, 2019.
Gattis uses her cattle for her Supervised Agricultural Experience Program for the South Habersham Middle FFA Chapter. A Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is a student-led, instructor-supervised, work-based learning experience.
“Showing livestock is fun and entertaining while developing my ability to manage money and time,” says Gattis who also serves as her school’s FFA president. She and the SHMS FFA team placed 2nd overall in the Southeast Empire 4-H/FFA Livestock Judging Career Development Event that was held also held Sept. 16 in Lawrenceville.
The event allows agricultural education students the opportunity to make accurate observations of livestock, determine the desirable traits in animals, make logical decisions based on their observations, and discuss and defend those decisions, according to SHMS FFA Advisor Shelly Patton-McQuaig.
Participants place classes of breeding and market beef, sheep, and swine, and then give oral reasons to the judges as to why they placed each class as they did.
Team members include Josie Pressley, Emily Gattis, and Ansley Segars. Additionally, Pressley received High Overall Individual Honors and Gattis received 3rd High Overall Individual.
Formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, FFA is a national organization of over 600,000 members. The organization prepares them for leadership and careers in the science, business, and agriculture technology fields.
