LAKER
Huron Daily Tribune • April 2023 • Page 1
Agriculture Issues Contest
Students present the pros and cons of their chosen agriculture issue for this contest.They then put together a 15 minute presentation which shows both sides of the issue.At the conclusion, they must answer 5 minutes of questions relating to their topic. Our team’s topic this year was,“Should horse slaughter and consumption in America be legal?” This topic took a deep look at the issues surrounding the number of wild horses, mustangs, kill shelter horses and companion and/or working horses and what could be done with them at maturity age or end of life to avoid the transfer of horses to Canada and Mexico. Currently the U.S. does not have regulations put in place to monitor additives administered to horses which has created a rift between the USDA and FDA in regards to safety for human consumption. Team members include: Emily Smith, Tyler Hill, Izzy Herford, Heidi Keim, Tatum Boyce, Kadie Jarson, Mason Shaw
L-R: Kadie Jarson, Tatum Boyce, Izzy Herford, Tyler Hill, Emily Smith, Heidi Keim, Mason Shaw
This team was named 4th in the state!
Our second Agriculture Issues topic was,“Declawing Cats: Paws or Claws?” This topic looked at the ethical standpoints of a common practice done in veterinary clinics across the nation. Recently we have seen the number of declawing cases decrease dramatically due to the influence of social media. Cats play an important role in the circle of life on a farm, however their claws can pose various health risks to both humans and livestock. This team received a Silver award and team members include: Audrey McNabb, Hannah Corp, Megan Strieter, Kate Hill, Sarah Courter, Anya Cardoza, Ally Smith
L-R: Kate Hill, Megan Strieter, Ally Smith, Audrey McNabb, Sarah Courter, Anya Cardoza, Hannah Corp
State Winning Proficiency Devonee Gnagey was named the State Winning Proficiency in the area of Agriculture Education. Her project began two years ago through the chapters,“Project PALs” program. She uses the Ag in the Classroom curriculum matrix to develop grade appropriate lessons based on the host teacher’s/ request. This year the topic focused on chicken; Devonee utilized the chapter’s broiler chickens to educate kindergarteners about: the life cycle of a chicken, the food they eat, byproducts, as well as helping them measure and weigh the chickens to track growth.
Above: Devonee Gnagey