In the News: FFA sales team to compete at state

The sales team of Alaena Wilfong, Ariana Piscitelli, Kory Blake and Sam Morland will represent NHS when it competes at state. Fruit spreads, antibiotics, feed additives and eye cleaners were all successfully sold by Newberg’s FFA sales team, ensuring the quartet of a trip to state.

All four chose to sell products they’d personally used on their animals or, in the case of Sam Morland, have eaten. Morland, the club’s secretary, was selling fruit spreads.

“This is a high quality specialty product so it stands out a little bit when you’re trying to sell it,” he said. The spreads are produced in Oregon with fruits grown and harvested in-state, which is important for Morland: “I like to invest my dollars in Oregon.”

Kory Blake sold show feed for hogs. For a long time he was unsure what to sell and he said he selected the feed because “I’ve used it with my animals and I liked the results.” While the product wasn’t cheap, the hurdle he encountered during his pitch was being able to explain the effects the myriad of proteins in the mix have on the growing animals.

Alaena Wilfong said that she went to Wilco Farm Stores and talked to their staff for ideas and they directed her to a product she already used on her animals to treat hoof infections.

The price objection is the easiest to overcome as the students roleplayed with the judges, Wilfong said, giving credit to FFA teacher Bob Beckner for teaching the students multiple answers.

Ariana Piscitelli was selling an eyewash for horses that not only was the cheapest on the market, but whose proceeds all went to a horse rescue facility.

The students all had to sell their items and take a test as well as partake in a team activity in which they had to present judges roleplaying a corporate board with a marketing plan for their new product. They also had to make a phone sale, handle an upset customer, sell a new product and design an ad, which counted toward their team score.

Story by Laurent Bonczijk, The Newberg Garphic