MOSES LAKE - Future Farmers of America participants from 17 schools navigated a tricky course on a tractor or tested their expertise in potatoes at state FFA contests held Friday at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake.

The state potato judging contest is a longtime fixture in Moses Lake. "State potato judging in 34 years has never been anywhere but Moses Lake," said Scott Mortimer, Wilson Creek FFA advisor. The Washington State Potato Commission works with the FFA on the competitions, and "the commission has been a great partner," said Moses Lake FFA advisor Tony Kern.

This is the third year the tractor driving contest has been held at the fairgrounds.

"We walk around judging potatoes," explained Derek Rutan, of New Horizons High School in Pasco. (Derek said he's new to FFA.) Contestants evaluate the quality of potatoes, said Dane Schwartz, of Chelan. "It's called potato grading," said Drew Carlson, of Stanwood. Competitors need to know what separates a good potato from a bad potato, Carlson said. "Discerning, I guess I would say."

Competitors also evaluate seed potatoes, Schwartz said, and are asked to identify blemishes and the underlying disease. "There's a whole list of them," Schwartz said. There's also a potato evaluation oral exam. "You need to speak fairly well, fairly fast," Carlson said.

Tractor driving competition "tries to test your skill on how to back up trailers," said Nathan Hermann, of Walla Walla, at least that's most of the contest. Drivers back the tractor (with trailer) in circle, then weave forward and backward among a line of cones. "It's hard," mainly because the course is really tight, said Andy Cunning, of Cashmere. "And we also don't drive John Deere at school," said Zack Traikovich, of Cashmere. But "if you know what you're doing you'll be good," Hermann said.

The competitions emphasize real-world skills, Kern said. "They really do try and follow industry standards," Kern said of the potato judging, using the same criteria applied in the industry.