Missouri FFA News Releases

Clayton Hawkins state winner 2009 Missouri FFA Swine Production Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award

COLUMBIA , Mo., April 16, 2009 – Clayton Hawkins, of the North Shelby FFA chapter from Bethel, Mo., was named the state winner of the FFA Swine Production-Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award at the 81^st Missouri FFA Convention.

Hawkins, a senior at North Shelby High School, is the son of Tandy and Sharla Hawkins. His chapter advisors are Shawn McEwen and Phillip Martin.

As a member of the North Selby FFA chapter, Hawkins attended the National FFA Convention, national agri-entrepreneurship award, and he won first place individual in the district livestock Career Development Event.

Outside the FFA, Hawkins is the president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, national honor society treasurer, and he is the president for his graduating class of 2009.

Hawkins grew up on his family’s farm raising hogs, cattle, soybeans and wheat. He enjoys the outdoors and working with livestock and equipment. Throughout FFA he has learned and practiced good business record keeping and animal husbandry skills. He started out with two crossbred sows, four cows, and purchased three purebred Chester White gilts. Currently Hawkins owns 54 sows, 147 market hogs, 366 feeder pigs, six boars, nine bred gilts, four cows and four feeder calves. He also sharecrops 65 acres of row crops such as corn and soybean rotation.

Hawkins plans to graduate from his high school in the top 15 percent of his class and plans to attend University of Missouri to pursue a degree in Ag Systems Management or General Agriculture. He eventually plans to take over the family farm.

Proficiency awards recognize FFA members who excel as agricultural entrepreneurs, employees or volunteers while gaining hands-on career experiences. Swine Production is one of 47 proficiency awards presented at state level. The Missouri Pork Producers Association sponsored this award.

The Missouri FFA has 24,410 members representing 317 chapters. The national organization has over 507,000 members representing 7,439 local chapters in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands .

The FFA Mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

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