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WIU students attended the Spring 2026 Professional Agricultural Students (PAS) Conference, which saw three members place in individual events.
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WIU Ag Students Give Strong Showing at PAS Conference

February 18, 2026

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MACOMB, IL - - Three Western Illinois University Agriculture students earned the right to compete at nationals during the Spring 2026 Professional Agricultural Students (PAS) Conference on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Senior agriculture teacher education major Adam Vail (Tennessee, IL), senior agricultural science major Laila Beck (Arenzville) and freshman agricultural science major Olivia Brodbeck (Batchtown) each earned third place in their respective individual events.
Vail - third place, individual prepared speaking
Beck - third place, individual soils specialist
Brodbeck - third place, individual precision agriculture

"What prepared me was my outstanding friends and my Ag Ed Professor, Dusti Ingles, who took time out of their day to allow me to do a practice run through after school one day," Vail said. "I was able to get critical feedback and overall felt more confident going into the event."

All three students will go on to compete in the national competition beginning Monday, March 9, in Branson, MO, where Brodbeck says she'll be ready for another strong performance.

"One of my biggest takeaways is to never count yourself out of the competition," Brodbeck said. "I was the only girl in my category and did not feel very good about the identification and test part of the competition. I did not think I did very well so I was very surprised when they announced that I got third. I learned that I can still hold my own and be able to compare my strengths and weaknesses and improve on those."

In addition to the awards, freshman broadcasting and journalism major Ben Wamsley (Taylorville) was elected the 2026-27 Illinois PAS President. Wamsley said he hopes to represent WIU with a strong term.

"I hope to expand the knowledge of PAS to increase the number of supporters and members," Wamsley said. "Agriculture is one of the most important industries in the world, and I want to make sure people fully understand every aspect of it."

For more information on WIU's Ag program, visit wiu.edu/ag.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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