Jacob Smith, one of two Presidential Scholars in this year’s freshman class at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, was a member of the Bleckley County FFA team which recently captured the national championship in Ag Mechanics at the National FFA Convention.

Smith, a forestry major from Cochran, is a 2018 Bleckley County High School graduate.  Since Smith was a part of the qualifying state championship team in the spring, he was able to continue his relationship with the team as a college student.

“I was part of a four-person team that participated in five different practicums,” Smith said. “Then we also had a written test.”

The practicums included environment and natural resources, electrical, small engines, machinery, and welding.  The group also had to participate in a team activity which involved building a sample block wall. Other members of the team included Louie Lumley, Seth DuBois and Tucker Felkins.

“All four of us made a perfect score on the written test,” Smith said.  “Our advisor, Dr. Walt Parks, believes that might have been the first time that has ever happened in the National Ag Mechanics competition.”

No stranger to national competitions, Smith placed third overall in the state and national FFA forestry competitions in 2017.  In 2018 he was recognized on the floor of the Georgia House of Representatives and State Senate as a member of the Bleckley County FFA National Championship Forestry Team.

In addition to receiving the ABAC Presidential Scholarship and qualifying for the Zell Miller Scholarship, Smith received the $6,000 Natural Resource Conservation Workshop Scholarship in 2016.

“I am so glad I chose ABAC,” Smith said.  “The forestry program gets better every day.  It’s wonderful.”

Charley Lollis from Perry, an agricultural communication major, is the other freshman Presidential Scholar at ABAC this semester.