AGRICULTURE

Resource Conservation Speech Contest winners announced

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Farm Forum

PIERRE, S.D. — The 54th annual State Finals of the Resource Conservation Speech Contest was held on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at the State Capitol in Pierre.

Winning first place and a $1,100 scholarship was Logan Hattervig. Hattervig was sponsored by the Miner County Conservation District and is a junior at Howard High School. He is the son of David and Connie Hattervig of Carthage.

Receiving second place and a $750 scholarship was Joanna Geffre. Geffre was sponsored by the South Brown Conservation District and is a sophomore at Aberdeen Central High School. She is the daughter of Jeannie Ryncarz of Aberdeen.

Receiving third place and a $450 scholarship was McKayla Carda. Carda was sponsored by the South Brown Conservation District and is a freshman at Aberdeen Central High School. She is the daughter of John and Brenda Carda of Aberdeen.

Scholarships totaling $2,300 for the winners are provided by Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of South Dakota. The contest is co-sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts.

The theme of this year’s contest was “Technology: Bridging the Conservation Generation Gap.” South Dakota high school students first participated in a local contest sponsored by their conservation district.

Two students from each district were then eligible to participate in an area contest. From there, the top two winners from each of the designated areas were eligible to advance to the state finals. This year, 10 contestants competed in the state finals.

Next year’s theme is “Why Manage Water for Conservation?” For more information, contact your local conservation district office or the South Dakota Department of Agriculture at 605.773.3623.

To read the winning speeches and view pictures of the contestants, please visit: http://sdda.sd.gov/conservation-forestry/educational-programs/resource-conservation-speech-contest/winners-announced/speechwinner2015.aspx.