Evan Searcy breaks new ground all the time on his family farm, but he is breaking new ground in the Carroll County High School FFA Chapter by being named the first Regional Star in Agricultural Placement.
Evan, who recently graduated and will be attending Eastern Kentucky University, is a vital part of the operation at his family’s farms. He has worked with his dad on Tucky Farms, with his grandpa at Airey Acres Farms, as a co-op at Nugent Sand, at Searcy Monuments with his mom and dad and also works some on Josh and Mackenzie Wright’s farm. He’s a busy young man and that is paying dividends for him in the FFA program.
FFA members who participate in supervised agricultural experience (SAE), which is basically any agricultural activity outside of school, can track those hours and apply for a state FFA degree. Evan, with the help of his ag teachers Mackenzie Wright and Sabrina Stephenson, completed the application and he underwent an intensive interview on his family farm.
Wright, who was present for the interview, said Evan led the process. “I took them for a ride around our farm and explained how our farm has gone from a patch of overgrown land to a pretty nice and productive farm,” Evan said, noting he doesn’t mind being interviewed but he does not like to give presentations.
He obtained the state degree and was ultimately named Regional Star in Placement. Carroll County’s region includes 11 chapters. The regional winners will compete June 8 in Lexington, where they will participate in more interviews and the winner will be announced live.
The goal for the Star award is to show growth over time. “We knew this was a possibility when he was in seventh grade,” Wright said. “We’ve pushed him hard.”
According to his state degree application, Evan has worked 1,458 unpaid hours of SAE and 873 of paid SAE hours. COVID helped bump up his hours, but working in five different locations also helps him meet this key component of the state degree application.
“Before we did all this it was just like every normal day, but this made me realize I work a lot more than I should,” the humble Evan said. “It makes me feel pretty special” to receive this honor.
Information on the livestream from the 94th Kentucky State FFA Convention can be found at kyffa.org/stateconvention.
