WesBanco Student of the Week: Western Hills’ Tolentino places second at National FFA Convention

Ayla Tolentino developed an agriscience project that took first place at the Kentucky FFA Agriscience Fair. In October her project finished second in the nation at the National FFA Convention, and for this achievement Tolentino has been named the WesBanco Student of the Week. Tolentino’s project was “Friend or Foe: Can Kentucky Farmers and Gardeners Correctly Identify Invasive Insects?” She wanted to find out how well Kentucky farmers and gardeners could identify insects and whether participating in Cooperative Extension programs made a difference in their knowledge. “I created a survey that tested participants on 13 insects, including invasive species, native pests, and beneficial insects,” Tolentino said. “I collected 152 valid responses from 40 Kentucky counties, representing all seven agricultural regions. “What surprised me most was that the average score was only four out of 13! But people who participated in Extension programs scored noticeably higher than those who didn’t.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.