Seven FFA chapters from Fishers, Indiana, and surrounding areas came together at the Makers Playground in Fishers for an intense 48 hours. The teams arrived with enthusiasm, eager to start the clock and were delighted to reconnect with familiar faces from previous FFA events.
Throughout the competition, the teams had the opportunity to meet with experts, mentors, and tool techs who helped them think through and refine their ideas. Each team took a unique approach to their prototypes, resulting in a diverse array of innovative creations.
It was inspiring to witness the creativity of each team as they worked tirelessly to bring their ideas to life. The event showcased the incredible talent within the FFA community.
At the end of the 48 hours the teams came together to pitch their ideas to the judges and audience. Two teams came home with awards.
First Place and Best Pitch went to Hamilton Southeastern FFA. The team, consisting of Sam Uliczny, Ellie Taylor, Meghan Haws, and Eliza Uliczny, received a custom-made trophy.Best Agilities went to Agricadabra from Purdue Polytechnic High School. The team, consisting of Dustin Homan, Violet Parkhill, Sophie Glassley, and Eddie Zimmerman, also received a custom-made trophy.
Mud Flaps
Creation: Rootin' for Success This exhibit showcases various soil types found in Indiana, demonstrating how water flows through each type and highlighting the nutrient levels for plant growth.
Purpose: Educates visitors on soil types, water flow within soils, and the best practices for maintaining a healthy yard and water supply.
Key Features: Water pumping system, diagram of different soil types, and illustrations of root sizes at various growth stages.
PITCH
Rootin' for Success is an educational display that maps out the different soil types across the state, showing where they are commonly found. It also highlights the elements in soil that affect water flow. The water pumping system simulates how quickly or slowly water passes through sand, potting soil, and clay. Additionally, it showcases the various stages of plant roots, from seedlings to full flowering plants.
EH Royals
Creation: The Maze of Maize, an interactive game that explores the journey of corn, highlighting various paths such as production, processing, and consumer use.
Purpose: Educates players on the diverse purposes a single crop can serve.
Key Features: Swivels back and forth to display different paths farmers take and where the crop might end up. Collapsible design for easy transport and storage.
PITCH
The Maze of Maize is a fun and educational activity designed for all ages, illustrating the journey of corn from planting to its transformation into familiar products. This interactive display can be collapsed to fit into a car, making it easy to transport to different locations. Using the swivel system, players can choose the path that a corn cob will follow, teaching them about the various routes and decisions involved in corn production.
Hamilton Southeastern
Creation: Pollinator Pals is a wall-mounted interactive display designed for young children, with the assistance of a parent. Each pollinator moves along its unique path, leading to doors that reveal fun facts about the pollinator when opened.
Purpose: Educates young children about different pollinators. The various paths lead to flaps that open to reveal interesting facts about each pollinator.
Key Features: Pollinators move along specific paths, providing educational facts along the way. Fun, lift-the-flap design to engage children in learning.
PITCH
Pollinator Pals is an interactive game that allows young children to explore independently. Each pollinator follows its unique path, with flaps that lift to reveal facts about natural resources related to the pollinator. This engaging game can be either wall-mounted or placed on a stand, making it versatile for different spaces.
Clever Connersville FFA
Creation: Niche is an interactive game that highlights the positive and negative aspects of an animal's habitat using lights and sound. Designed to be fun and engaging for a wide range of ages.
Purpose: A hands-on game where players test whether various factors are beneficial or harmful to an animal's habitat.
Key Features: Light-up and sound board that indicates whether the selected item is suitable for the animal. Interchangeable animal options to accommodate different regional species.
PITCH
Niche is an educational game that teaches players about the positive and negative factors that impact an animal's habitat. The game allows users to switch out the featured animal, making it adaptable for different regions. Designed for a wide age range, this tabletop game is portable and easy to transport to various locations, ensuring accessibility and engagement for all.
Hamilton Heights FFA
Creation: Vertigro, a vertical growing system where plants are stacked on top of each other. Water applied to the top plants trickles down to the lower levels, and is then filtered back through with a pump. Vertigro also includes grow lights to support plant growth.
Purpose: Demonstrates how to grow plants in limited space using a vertical system, complete with a watering system and grow lights. QR codes provide additional information on vertical growing systems.
Key Features:Grow lighting for optimal plant health.Water drip system that efficiently nourishes all plants. Vertical design to maximize growing space. QR codes offering further insights into the benefits of vertical gardening.
PITCH
Vertigro is a versatile and transportable vertical growing system, perfect for teaching people how to easily cultivate fresh produce at home or in any location. The system features optional grow lights and a drip watering system to maintain plant health. QR codes are included for users to access more detailed information about vertical growing, making it an educational and practical solution for space-efficient gardening.
Agricadabra
Creation: See’d Yourself in Ag, an interactive mirror display featuring QR codes that link to websites like FFA and Corteva, providing resources for getting involved in agriculture. The display is flexible and can be reshaped to fit various spaces.
Purpose: Encourages people to see themselves as part of the agricultural community and provides them with resources to get involved.
Key Features: Full-length mirrors that can be adjusted and shaped to fit different spaces. QR codes offering information and resources to help you "See’d Yourself in Ag."
PITCH
See’d Yourself in Ag is a dynamic display designed to inspire and engage. Its adjustable mirror can be configured to suit any space, encouraging users to take mirror selfies while exploring the information provided. Surrounding the mirror are QR codes that direct users to resources, helping them find their place in the world of agriculture.
Fishers HS FFA
Creation: Sustainable Lawn Care, a display designed for the endcap of any hardware store, showcasing various lawn conditions and the necessary steps to improve lawn health.
Purpose: Educates consumers on the appropriate types and quantities of nutrients needed to maintain a healthy lawn.
Key Features: Displays images of different lawn conditions. Provides guidance on what nutrients to add or avoid for optimal lawn care.
PITCH
Sustainable Lawn Care is a practical display intended for store endcaps. It features images of various lawn conditions, allowing customers to compare their own lawns and determine the necessary steps to achieve a healthier appearance. By referring to the display, shoppers can easily identify what their lawn needs to thrive.
