Sussex Tech students shine at turf management competition

Sparta - Students from the Sussex Tech environmental horticulture shop placed second in turf management and fourth in land judging at the FFA annual Fall Career Development Event, held on Nov. 17 at Rutgers University’s Cook College. The turf management competition consisted of a 25-question written exam, a calculated job estimate, plant identification, evaluation preparation, and a site evaluation. The second-place turf management team included sophomores James Welch of Stillwater (sixth overall), Will Vallone of Wantage (11th overall), Matt French of Hamburg (second overall), and Emily Jobes of Wantage (ninth overall). The team members who placed fourth in the land judging event are senior Chris Perst of Newton (12th overall), freshman Rob Watts of Branchville (13th overall), junior Karson Sybesma of Wantage (21st overall), and freshman Justin Lewandowski of Montague (25th overall). Competitors in the land judging event were required to inspect three different land sites and submit a written evaluation of land usage possibilities. The Sussex Tech FFA, (Future for Agriculture), is one of 22 chapters of the N.J. state FFA. The FFA has over 50,000 student members nationwide and is the largest student organization in the world.