Ephrata FFA attends WA state convention; Hausken an officer

PULLMAN – Thirty Ephrata High School FFA members traveled to Washington State University's Pullman campus for the 96th annual Washington FFA State Convention held May 14-16, when senior Tessa Hausken was named the 2026-2027 state reporter.

Hausken is the first Ephrata member to hold state office since 2008-09.

She earned the post through a selection process that included an interview round, presentation, delegate question-and-answer session, and convention floor speech to a room of more than 2,000 FFA members. She was elected by a body of more than 3,000 FFA members and guests at WSU's Beasley Coliseum, reported the Capital Press.

EHS FFA advisor Landra Kosa said Hausken will take a gap year after high school to serve Washington FFA, traveling the state for chapter visits, workshops, and conferences, including one in Washington, D.C.

At the Pullman gathering, several other Ephrata members were recognized for their accomplishments at events held earlier in the year.

The Intro to Horticulture team of Chloe Ballinger, Ellie Kono, Madison Booth, Hesston Downs and Rhylee Carlson won the state title, with Ballinger placing first, Kono fifth and Booth sixth individually.

Also, Eli Hesse finished fifth in state in Tractor Driving. The Floral Design team of Tessa Hausken, Molly Coomes, Hannah Fitts, Maria Farias, and Maddy Drake took sixth. Livestock Evaluation also placed sixth as a team of Maddy Pruneda, Cole Rickert, Tessa Hausken, Ellie Kono, Madison Booth and Kaylynn Pruneda, with Maddy Pruneda seventh individually.

Several teams also competed at the convention itself. One Ephrata First Year Member team made the finals and finished in the top 16 statewide. The Milk Quality and Products team of Madison Booth, Ellie Kono, Rhylee Carlson, Maddy Lembcke and Neveah Alm landed in the top 25.

Members also competed in several other divisions — Food Science (Lila Smith, Mason Thoma, Eli Hesse, Kaylynn Pruneda, Kathryn Linday), Prepared Public Speaking (Tessa Hausken), Spanish Creed (Ivan Bartolo Pacheco) and Agricultural Education (Rylee Holt, Lila Smith).

The EHS FFA BBQ team of Cole Rickert, Colt Staples, Rowdy Coker and Maddy Pruneda finished fifth in state — their ribs were scored on tenderness, moistness, flavor and appearance.

Molly Coomes represented Ephrata as the chapter's voting delegate, weighing in on business matters and the state officer election.

Earlier in the year, several Ephrata teams placed at the district level. The Agricultural Mechanics team of Rowdy Coker, Mason Thoma, Cort Kimble, Blake Carvo and Lila Smith finished second at districts. A Metal Art Invitational team of Cort Kimble, Eli Hesse, Gauge Force, R.C. Rashford and Mason Thoma placed third. The Apple Evaluation team of Madison Booth, Ellie Kono, Chloe Ballinger, Hesston Downs and Kaylie Perryman took fourth as did the Vet Science team.

Bernice Hansen and Rylee Holt earned their State FFA Degrees — the highest honor a member can earn at the state level, recognizing years of work on a supervised agricultural experience project, community service, and leadership in the chapter. Ali Drake and Kendra Rickert were named American FFA Degree candidates, a national-level honor that requires holding a State Degree first.

Members also toured the WSU Beef Center for a hands-on session with animal organs and a look at how students run the university's beef herd. Workshops were conducted by FFA officers from other states.