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Pictured above from left to right are brothers Ethan Stone, Jared Stone and Seth Stone. Photo/Chelsea Weeks.
Three brothers from Chandler received national recognition for the work and research they did in FFA.
Chandler Alumni Seth Stone was a National Finalist in Agricultural Proficiency for his work in agricultural research and plant systems.
Seth is in the top four in the Nation and the winner will be decided at the National FFA Convention in October, which is virtual this year.
Seth has been involved in FFA since his freshman year of high school and said it felt pretty good to be recognized for all his work the past six years.
The Stone family owns the Stone Creek Pecan Farms. Seth said as he was working the trees he wanted to learn more about the center action of the trees, which is what prompted him to start his career in the plant side of FFA.
For the proficiency award, Seth had to turn in a group of his Agriscience research projects. Over his six year career in FFA, Seth has completed four individual projects.
His first two where the same project that looked at Merrimac pecan variety and how susceptible it was to the fungal pathogen conscab compared to the USDA standard that is set for it.
His third project looked at legumes and which one produced the most nitrogen in the shortest amount of time and added it back into the soil.
His fourth project looked at compost vs. compost tea and manure vs. manure tea to see which one provides the most nutrients for plants.
Seth is a sophomore at Oklahoma State University double majoring in agriculture engineering and agronomy business.
Chandler Sophomore Ethan Stone was a National Finalist in the Agriscience Fair for his work in the area of environmental services and natural resource systems.
Ethan said it felt pretty good to receive this award.
“I realized this project by myself so it feels good knowing that something I can do can make it to nationals,” he said.
While working at his family farm, Ethan noticed standing water on the surface instead of seeping into the ground, which is how he got the idea for his project.
Ethan tested whether or not shaking pecan trees would reduce the soil compaction, which reduces the air space in the soil making it harder for the roots to grow.
Ethan tested it by using a rod with a pressure gauge on it to measure the amount of pressure on the soil around the tree.
“My research proved that shaking trees can actually increase the compaction,” he said.
Ethan started working on this project last December.
“I’m hoping to come back to nationals next year with another agriscience project and I’d like to follow in my brother’s footsteps and win in the proficiency division too,” he said.
Chandler senior and current Chandler FFA President Jared Stone was a bronze finalist in the Agriscience Fair for his work in the area of social system.
Jared conducted a 20 question survey within his age group to see their knowledge of the terms genetic engineering and genetically modified organism.
“They got confused between the two terms and that shows that the term GMO is too broad,” he said. “As agriculturalists today, we need to find new terms to define the things we are doing to organisms so that our consumers know what we’re doing to products. That way we’re having a clear communication and they know what they’re buying in the grocery stores.”
Jared surveyed students in the Chandler area and Edmond area.
Within his results, there were two people say they have the highest knowledge, while most said they had below average knowledge when it came to the terms GMO and GE.
“This shows that there is a need for more knowledge and more teaching about what we do,” he said.
Jared started this project in November and completed it in May.
“It feels pretty good, I wish I could have made it to the top 10 finalists like Ethan did, but I know it’s a high honor to make it to the national level in itself and so that is exciting to me,” he said.
Jared said these terms are thrown around a lot in his household and wanted to learn more about them since he is interested in genetics.
Jared plans on attending Oklahoma State University and double majoring in biotechnology and agricultural business.