The 2025 CORE Butte FFA Veterinary Science Career Development Event Team.
On March 11, 2025, the CORE Butte FFA veterinary science career development event (CDE) team traveled to Fresno State University for its final field day of the season: Fresno Field Day.
Known as one of the California FFA Association’s largest and most competitive CDE competitions, Fresno draws students from all across the state to compete in livestock judging, floriculture, veterinary science and more.
CORE Butte FFA brought four hardworking members to compete at this field day: Paige Dearth, Morgan Mallery, Aiden Price and Natalie Reed. “We’ve been practicing for this field day for the past several months, and it felt amazing once we finally arrived,” says Reed, who’s competed in this CDE for three years.
The veterinary science CDE competition began with tool identification and breed/parasite identification. Due to the high number of teams competing, only the top 20 teams moved on to the second and final round, which included general knowledge and practicums.
In past years, CORE Butte FFA members competed at Fresno, but never advanced to the final round. After 30 suspenseful minutes of waiting, the results were announced. When CORE Butte FFA was named as one of the top 20 teams, excitement and joy filled everyone on the team. They quickly prepared for the final round.
Two hours later, the competition concluded. Although the team didn’t place in the top five, members walked away proud of their performance and the growth they made throughout this year. Making it to the final round at one of the most competitive events in the state is no small feat, and the experience was both rewarding and unforgettable.
Congratulations to the CORE Butte FFA Veterinary Science CDE Team on this accomplishment!
