Three members of the Blanco FFA Chapter recently participated in the San Antonio Livestock Exposition Public Speaking Contest.

In the preliminary round, there were 100 students from across the state that competed in six divisions. Callie Culton presented a speech over the Obama Fishing Ban that finished in the top of the Agricutlural Policy Division but did not advance to the semi-finals as they only took the top two.

In the Environmental and Natural Resources Division, Kellam Nabers advanced to the semi-finals with his speech entitled, "Forests for People." Although he finished in the top four, only the top two made the finals.

Finally, Payton Duvall made the finals by winning her division in Plant and Soil Science with a speech that discussed the possible legalization of marijuana as an agricultural commodity.

Twelve students competed in the final round and were required to present their speech to the public. Payton finished fourth overall and was awarded a plaque by the San Antonio Livestock Association. The top three contestants received a $10,000 scholarship.