Kaden Mitchell of the Hennessey FFA Chapter is a National Proficiency Award Finalist in the area of turf grass management.

He is among only four finalists from across the country that are selected per proficiency area each year.

Mitchell will now compete with three other FFA members from Georgia, Illinois and Kentucky for top honors at the 2020 Virtual National FFA Convention in October.

Mitchell owns and operates Mitchell Lawn Service, which is a lawn care business. His business has grown in size and equipment over the years.

“The single greatest challenge I faced is my financial responsibility from the beginning,” Mitchell said. “This meant reinvesting my profits into equipment upgrades. Equipment is expensive, so in order to save money, I began to research price differences and purchase new equipment during the winter months when lawn care equipment is on sale.”

Over the last five years, Mitchell said he has established respect and trust from customers through the quality of his work. He said he has proven himself to be competent in all aspects of entrepreneurship and has demonstrated he can handle the business while also managing three employees.

Mitchell is the son of Jill Vincent and Kyle Mitchell. His agricultural education instructor and FFA adviser is Jorge Huizar.

He is a 2020 Hennessey High School graduate and is a freshman at Oklahoma State University. He has served on the Hennessey United board of directors for the past two years, and has been in charge of the planting and upkeep of Main Street flower pots.

Mitchell will be honored by the nonprofit later this month for his service to the community.

A turf grass management supervised agricultural experience typically involves the planting and maintaining of turf for outdoor beautification, owning a lawn-mowing service, improving recreational areas, producing sod for sale and managing golf courses.