MONROE COUNTY, Georgia — Mary Persons High School won two state titles in a Future Farmers of America contest. Now they are representing the entire state of Georgia on the national level.
For Mary Persons high school senior Willow Waldrep, agriculture runs through her blood.
"We raise our own beef cattle and sheep, and it's been in our family for four generations," says Waldrep.
This school year is special to her for several reasons. She is finally attending the national competition with her school's Future Farmers of America chapter.
"When I got to high school that has been one of my biggest goals is to win. My junior year, we were state runner-ups. We were so close," says Willow.
On the state level, they won in land judging and the wildlife management contest, which includes four different events.
"One will do whitetail deer management, one will do fawn management, general ID of wildlife things and bird biology," says the agriculture teacher Ryan Smith.
Agriculture teacher Bill Waldrep says that land-judging students were measured based on their evaluation of a site of land.
"And determine the slope of it. The topsoil thickness. How much erosion is going on the drainage, then they come up with a land class," says Bill.
Willow gets to go to nationals with her dad, one of the agriculture and FFA teachers.
Those are deal breakers when we get to Oklahoma for nationals.
It all comes together on their last chance to make it happen before her dad retires this year and she heads to college at UGA.
"That's something that's been our goal, to win and get to go to nationals together and get to do that together," says Willow.