SPRINGFIELD — Twenty-eight Lincoln Land Community College Agriculture Club members competed at the Illinois Postsecondary Agriculture Student (PAS) Conference held virtually Feb. 22-25. LLCC then moved on to compete in the virtual National PAS Conference March 15-19 with students from 33 colleges and universities. These contests are designed to test their knowledge and readiness for their future careers.

In the national soils competition, Clayton Walch (Raymond) placed first, Alexis Carroll (Carrollton) second and Sam Van Rheeden (Chestnut) third individually. As a team, they placed second at nationals and recorded a third-place finish at state.

In the employment interview competition, Carson Lobdell (Darlington, Wis.), Mackenzie Harmon (Morrisonville) and Carroll won first place in their divisions. Emily Curry (New Berlin) and Braylee Finck (Maroa) placed second. At state, Finck, Harmon, Carroll and Lobdell placed first in their respective divisions. Annie Jackson (Jacksonville) and Curry placed second, and Madison Thomas (Mt. Pulaski) placed third.

The LLCC college bowl team of Carroll, Brian Kenshol (Mt. Pulaski), Curry, Thomas and Harmon placed third overall at nationals. At the state event, this team, with the addition of Shawn Goebel (Harvel) and Walch, was undefeated in the round-robin tourney and won first place for the fifth year in a row.

Other state awards include Kenshol winning first place individually in the ag sales contest, and Chase Tomhave (Jacksonville) placing second.

The crops specialist team of Goebel, Fuller Anderson (Atwater) and Ashley Johnes (Batchtown) placed second; and the team of Van Rheeden, Ben Reno (Medora) and Harmon placed third.

In the livestock specialist contests, LLCC’s swine, beef, sheep and overall teams each placed third. Swine team members are Makenzie Hereth (Woodbine, Md.), Brooklyn Wurm (Monroeville, Ind.), and Anderson. Beef team members are Wyatt Johnson (La Harpe), Brayden Freeman (Winchester) and Rachael Rogers (Kendallville, Ind.). Sheep team members are Breanna Knittel (Greenfield), Emma Peters (Versailles, Ohio), Jett Vickery (Taylorville), Griffin Harms (Chatham), Evan McClain (Albany, Ind.) and Sam Stickley (Saint Paris, Ohio). The overall team members are Colby Hough (Mount Airy, Md.), Lobdell and Kade Shiery (Camden, Mich.).

PAS is a career and technical student organization for college students interested in agriculture. In addition to competitive events, the national conference provides an opportunity for students to attend workshops, hear from nationally renowned speakers and meet with representatives from a dozen agriculture firms with employment opportunities across the country.

Learn more about LLCC’s agriculture programs and club at www.llcc.edu/agriculture.