Sugar-Salem FFA member Brandon Little pushes Max Banta to the finish line.
Once a year, the Sugar-Salem FFA Chapter in Idaho gets the chance to host an Ag Olympics event at their local county fair.
Members were approached a few years ago by a local fair board member who was looking for an activity that would bring the community together and give youth who show animals a break from their fair-week stress. After some brainstorming, the officer team came up with the idea of doing relay races with activities they’ve all had to do countless times as daily farm chores.
After only a few weeks to plan and collect all the supplies needed for the races, Sugar-Salem FFA members were unsure what to expect from this new event.
“The first year, we weren’t expecting much,” says Sugar-Salem FFA member Brandon Little. “But we had a ton of interest and lots of great sponsors who helped with prizes, which made it extremely competitive between the teams.”
Some of the competitors chug milk from calf bottles to win the race.
Planning and Preparations
The Ag Olympics ended up being so popular that Sugar-Salem FFA was asked to do it again this year. This time, they learned what activities were a hit and catered the event to what their community wanted.
From stacking bales to chugging calf bottles, racing wheelbarrows, pounding posts and carrying eggs, members came up with the most common things they do around the farm on a day-to-day basis. Teton Medical Group and the Fremont County Fair offered to sponsor the event and donated prizes such as model tractors, gloves, candy, hats and more.
“The Sugar-Salem FFA Chapter works very hard to make this event happen every year,” says sponsor Thomas Jones. “Teton Medical Group loves supporting them through all activities, but we are big fans of the Ag Olympics because of how they bring together the entire community.”
Crossing the Finish Line
In the middle of the busy fair week, people from all over the community lined up to compete at the Ag Olympics.
“We had teams from South Fremont FFA and Madison FFA ready to race,” says Sugar-Salem FFA member Addy Pocock. “It was so exciting to watch the young kids and families try their hardest to win.”
From 4-H Cloverbuds to parents, Sugar-Salem FFA watched everyone compete to make their team proud. Starting with bale stacking and ending with the calf bottle chugging, the event challenged two teams with members of similar ages to compete against the clock and each other.
It was a close competition. Team Eaton took third place, Team Madison got second place, and The Diggers came in first place. Team Diggers chose the model tractors donated by the Fremont County Fair as their prize.
The Diggers included teammates Max Banta, Brandon Little, James Little and Carter Moore.
Sugar-Salem FFA would like to thank its sponsors and community for making these events happen.
Looking for more chapter activity ideas? Check out more FFA in the USA articles here.
