Dawson County High School’s FFA chapter has been on the go this year, especially the past several weeks, according to adviser Reggie Stowers.

“We’ve been extremely busy,” said Stowers, who has headed up the program for nearly three decades. “It’s been a wild school year.”

FFA, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is an educational program that connects students to careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.

Last month, local students fared well at the state level in a land judging competition. Kayla Schandera took home an individual first-place prize in the junior competition.

The school’s senior team made up of Greg Cooper, Zach Gerrells, Kenny Houseal and Dillon Waltzer took fifth place in the land judging competition.

Student Seth Banks competed at the northwest Georgia competition, and placed first in the land judging category as well.

But the accolades didn’t end in November.

As recently as last week, student Art Brown got sixth place in an electrical wiring competition, and Kenny Houseal finished fourth in a public speaking FFA event.

Club members also placed sixth in a livestock judging competition last week.

Gerrells placed 19th out of 100 in a meat evaluation contest at the same event.

“I was very pleased with how everybody did,” Stowers said. “They’ve put forth a lot of effort this year and it shows.”

Students are staying busy this week, finishing up the club’s annual fundraiser for next year’s activities.

Members sold 400 bushels of oranges last month, and delivered them this week to homes and businesses countywide.

Stowers said the fruit sale is a long tradition with the club, which began when he was a student at school in the 1970s.