White Salmon FFA leads Apple Judging Clinic

WHITE SALMON — White Salmon FFA recently led a successful Apple Judging Clinic in which they taught a group of 42 students the ins and outs of the Washington State FFA Career Development Event.

First of all, what is Apple Judging? Apple Judging is an FFA competition made up of eight graded sections done within a single timed event. Apple and tray judging is the section most people will think of first and is done by grading individual and trays of apples on commercial standards with the lowest quality being rated as cull and the highest rated as extra fancy. Identification is the next section by identifying 50 different insects, various apple blemishes, and apple varieties based on memorization. Additionally, there is pressure testing which is done with a fruit penetrometer that measures the force needed to puncture an apple’s skin. Pressure testing is done to understand an apple’s ripeness, shelf life, and ability to be transported. Next is determining when an apple will reach maturity by counting past the given date by the standard time to mature of that variety. Finally, competitors take the pesticide applicators exam.

Each part of the event is graded separately and then totaled together with your team for a final score; the higher the score, the better your team did.

As an event, Apple Judging teaches FFA members about careers in the fruit industry and skills such as teamwork, communication, memorization, and time management. Apple Judging was not always a staple competition of the White Salmon FFA chapter, beginning just four years ago. It was a huge success and has only improved since then, with weekly practices and dedicated members. As a chapter, White Salmon FFA has participated in multiple Apple Judging events, including competitions at the state level.

Using this background of Apple Judging, a group of White Salmon FFA members traveled to Goldendale High School to teach other schools from Washington about the event and how to be successful in the competition. The team consisted of White Salmon FFA President Jesus Calderilla, Treasurer Rubi Guzman, Reporter Liam Fitzjarrald, and Advisor Emily Gehrig. Each member brought prior knowledge from previous competitions, including the 2025 Washington FFA State Apple Judging competition in which they placed 16th out of the entire state. Attending the clinic were groups of interested students from White Swan, Goldendale, Zillah,  Sunnyside, and Granger. The clinic began with a broad introduction to the event by Gehrig followed by small groups learning about each section in more detail. Afterwards, students participated in the competition with everything they learned and were then scored and ranked according to Washington FFA Association guidelines.

Overall the clinic was a success, with White Salmon FFA members sharing their knowledge and supporting fellow Washington FFA members.

Looking towards the future, White Salmon FFA is planning on competing in Prosser at their district level contest as well as the Washington State FFA Apple Judging event at Kennewick during December. White Salmon FFA members are working hard to earn a place on the podium.

A huge shout-out of appreciation to Goldendale for hosting the clinic at their FFA/Agriculture department. Mount Adams Fruit is also a constant supporter with help from volunteers Alan Reitz and Natasha Decker. Finally, thank you to the White Salmon Community for supporting the White Salmon FFA Chapter.