Stevens Culverson, Parker Heard and Tanner Walker won the top awards at last Tuesday’s annual Bainbridge High School Future Farmers of America Chapter awards banquet at the Cloud Livestock Pavilion.

Culverson is the Star Farmer. He has grown peanuts as his supervised agricultural experience project, and been a member of FFA since middle school.

Heard is the Star Agribusinessman. He has worked for his father at Glenn Heard Farms for four years.

He plays first base for the Bainbridge High School Bearcats baseball team and he plans to major in agriculture at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton and return to Decatur County to farm.

The Star Placement in Agriculture Award went to Walker, who has veterinarian medicine as his supervised agricultural experience project. He has worked at Bryant and Height Veterinarian Clinic since the eighth grade.

Caroline New, who has been in FFA for four years and served as a middle school officer and exhibited livestock for four years, earned the Star Greenhand Award, which goes annually to the outstanding first-year chapter member.

Chapter President Sara Beth Pelham won the Decatur County Young Farmers Charles Bailey scholarship named in memory of long-time BHS agriculture teacher and first Decatur County Young Farmer teacher.

Future Farmers of America alumni President Phil Long presented a special appreciation award to Lee Ann Heard for her dedicated service to the chapter.

Tanner Walker has also participated in public speaking, land management and environmental natural resources.

Meredith Conder was honored for finishing first in the area junior public speaking competition and then going on to finish second at the state level.

Walker was recognized for placing first in Area 5 vet medicine proficiency then going on to place third at the state convention.

Retiring officers plaques were presented to President Sara Beth. She was praised for being part of FFA for seven years and working hard with determination to help the chapter grow.

The banquet concluded with the installation of the new officers who will lead the chapter through the 2010-2011 school year.

Special recognition went to Garrett Wooten for tractor driving, and Keith Sizemore, Joel Bennett, Cody Logue and Brian Landers for welding.

Honored for their work in nursery landscape were the team of Jackson Kendrick, Trevor Green, Steven Crowell and Chace Vaughn, who went on to place second in the area competition and advance to the state competition.

Senior division Malori Maxwell and junior division member Claire Culverson were honored for their work in floral design.

Wildlife management recognition went to the team that placed second in the area competition and advanced to the state competition. Team members were Dane Culverson, Tanner Walker, Scott Overman and Michael Dobbs.

Other honorees included Taylor Strickland, who finished first in area quiz bowl competition and advanced to the state competition; and Haley Hubbard, Katie Monson, Keksey Lambert, Josh Dykes, Clint Edmunds and Sara Beth Pelham, who placed first at the area level and advanced to state competition.

Sydney Manley was honored for her efforts in the area creed speaking competition, and Chelsea Lambert was recognized for competing in the job interview competition.

Robert James and Austin Matthews were recognized for representing the chapter in the woodworking CDE event. Chace Vaughn represented the chapter in lawn mowing competition.

Competing in the parliamentary procedure CDE were Taylor Strickland, Meredith Conder, Caroline New, Jason Long, Sydney Manley and Brianna Sapp.

Qualifying for and receiving their Georgia State FFA degrees at the Georgia FFA Convention in April were Parker Heard, Stevens Culverson and Chace Vaughn.

The Jeffery Lance Godwin Friendliest Ag Student Award, named in honor and memory of a former FFA member, who lost his life in a car accident, was won by Dane Culverson.

Receiving their Chapter FFA degrees Tuesday night were Mckenzie Conder, Ivy Heard, Nolan Phillips, Macy Phillips and Garrett Wooten.

At the conclusion of the banquet, President Pelham installed chapter officers for the 2010-2011 school year. They were President Chelse Kornse, Vice President Malori Maxwell, Secretary Meredith Conder, Treasurer Taylor Strickland, reporter Caroline New and sentinel Chosen Long.