For months, data centers have been major topics in Montgomery County as plans are being made to have two large developments near the I-70 and Highway 19 interchange.

So, when the Montgomery County High School FFA chapter formed an agricultural issues team, it didn’t waste time figuring out what topic it was going to present at the Area V competition, which is scheduled for March 18 at Van-Far High School.
The team chose the data center and the agricultural and environmental impacts it could bring. It has to present both sides of the issue and a decision can not be made at the end of the presentation.

“These guys really dove in deep when learning about the data center,” FFA co-adviser Amanda Sullivan said. “They interviewed people, read articles and attended meetings. They did all kinds of different things. But one of the big parts of our competition is we have to do different forums at different community events and specifically do it at events that have people who have a direct link to the issue.”

On March 12, the agricultural issues team of senior Wyatt March and juniors Lilly Hillebrand, Lafe McCurdy, Olivia Spurgeon, Jillian Weekley and Alaina Zerr made its data center presentation at the Montgomery County R-II School Board meeting at Montgomery County Middle School. Hillebrand, Weekley and McCurdy are officers of the MCHS FFA chapter.

The 12½-minute performance impressed board member Micah Hans.

“I want to commend you all because you all picked a subject that was very touchy and went and talked at all of the places you all talked at,” Hans said. “I applaud you all.”

The team showed a presentation to the Preserve Montgomery County group. It also made presentations at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, the Missouri Department of Conservation, a Rotary Club meeting and a Montgomery County Commissioner meeting.

An agricultural issues team is a leadership development event and focuses on the current issues that are affecting agriculture. Sullivan said when the ag issues team picked the data center as its topic, it had to figure out how to present it.

“They could decide to stand up here in their official dress and give you much of a presentation,” she said. “They decided to do it like a skit.”

In the presentation at the school board meeting, Hillebrand was the utility specialist, Weekley played the school superintendent, McCurdy was the county commissioner, Spurgeon played the concerned resident, March was the environmentalist and Zerr was the farmer.

Sullivan shared positive comments about March — who was an alternate — during the meeting.

“The person who is usually with us, her work would not let her out tonight, so Wyatt has been subbing in for us because we had a lot of illness go through quite a bit,” Sullivan said. “He’s the MVP right now.”

The team has up to 15 minutes to make its presentation in competition. It gets a seven-minute question session after the presentation.

The team worked on its presentation for two months. Spurgeon said she and her teammates made sure the presentation doesn’t go over the 15-minute limit.

“We talked a little bit about what concerns with the air pollution and the chemicals that would stay in the environment, but because of time we cut them out,” the junior said.

The top three teams in area competition advance to the district round, which is on March 23. The top five teams in districts qualify for state competition, which is in April.