2022 National FFA Week by Star Publications

Page 1 • National FFA Week | Wednesday, February 16, 2022

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FFA MISSION

FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLLY ARNOLD

To accomplish its mission , FFA:

ST R

Publications The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.

• Develops competent and assertive agricultural leadership. • Increases awareness of the global and technological importance of agriculture and its contribution to our well-being. • Strengthens the confidence of agriculture students in themselves and their work. • Promotes the intelligent choice and establishment of an agricultural career. • Encourages achievement in supervised agricultural experience programs. • Encourages wise management of economic, environmental and human resources of the community. • Develops interpersonal skills in teamwork, communications, human relations and social interaction. • Builds character and promotes citizenship, volunteerism and patriotism. • Promotes cooperation and cooperative attitudes among all people. • Promotes healthy lifestyles. • Encourages excellence in scholarship.

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE SAUK CENTRE HERALD & THE STAR POST OF MELROSE AND ALBANY

Page 2 • National FFA Week | Wednesday, February 16, 2022

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | National FFA Week • Page 3 KARLA A. SCHNEIDER, RPH. Pharmacist/Owner

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FFA CHAPTER

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Albany/Avon FFA chapter includes Jade Thompsen n, (front row, from left) Chloe Hoppe, Sam Orbeck, Ivan Kotten, Chloe Winkels, Bella Schiffler, Alexa Middendorf, Averyy Wieber, Carter Dobmeier, Bryce Frericks, Faith Kalthoff, Lilyy Geise, Tristyn Gienger; (second row) Amy Schneider, Ethan Hartung, Myra Kotschevar, Emma Hienen, Emily Breth, Jazmin Pullins, Peyton Buerman, Josh Niehaus, Oliver Wieber, Jack Orbeck, Brice Wolbeck, Veronica Maus, Leczi Fleischhacker, Olivia Kompelien, Oliver Berckes, Mr. Lichy; (third row) Ethan Roehrl, Brayden Roerick, Ryan Stroeing, Abraham Hartung, Kalie Ritter, Sophia Schiffler, Mason Plumski, Cody Voigt, Kyle Voigt, Noah Hartung, Grant Meyers, Jacob Niehaus, and Leala DeGier.

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Page 4 • National FFA Week | Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Breth: Leaders set examples,

show others the way BY SARAH COLBURN STAFF WRITER

ALBANY – Emily Breth has always looked up to her siblings; she watched as they became influential leaders in FFA and she wanted to do the same. “I saw how great of an impact they had on others and I wanted to have that same impact,” she said. Now in her sixth year with FFA, she’s serving as the FFA chapter president at Albany High School. She’s run for officer positions a few times through the years but it wasn’t until her TED PHOTOS SUBMIT junior year that she czi Le d an t), Emily Breth Veronica Maus (from lefed at the State Leadership was named treasurer. Fleischhacker are pictur Leaders (SLCCL) at Deep For her, the ter Conference for Chap organization has Portage. been a pathway to gaining strong leadership skills. Through the years she’s attended a multitude of leadership development events and has also attended some FFA camps. The State Leadership Conference for Chapter Leaders (SLCCL), a two-and-a-half-day conference, and the State Greenhand Leadership Conference, a three-day experience, gave her the opportunity to learn more about the National FFA Organization and truly get involved. “I want to convince people how good FFA is, to do Career and Leadership Development FFA students take a break after the events,” she said. “To race at the State Leadership Confere color run relay Leaders (SLCCL) at Deep Portage. Pictnce for Chapter show agriculture is good Breth (front, from left), Veronica ured are Emily for everyone and not just Fleischhacker; Back: Evan Lichy, GraMaus and Leczi people who want to be ce Woi talla and Clara Pflueger. f a r m e r s . ” Growing up on a dairy

FFA students get ready to ride on the parade float in Avon during the summer of 2021. Pictured are Jazmin Pullins (front, from left), Leczi Fleischhacker, Faith Kalthoff and Sofia Tschida; Back: Makayla Breth, Duane Lichy, Emily Breth, Hunter Tschida, Abe Harding and Kalie Ritter.

led by her parents, Jerry and Tammy Breth, she learned the importance ce of agriculture in thee global landscape early on. “Agriculture is the foundation of everything,” she said. “When people talk about thingss where you think it has as no connections to ag, you can almost most immediately tie it back to ag because probably ably the base of what they’re ey’re using (or doing) comes from some kind of plant or animal.” Breth’s hands-on daily experience on the farm taught her early on about responsibility as she learned the importance of caring for and feeding animals and assisting with chores. She learned about time management as she

“I walked away knowing a leader isn’t always in charge; a leader just sets an example and shows everyone else the way,” - Emily Breth

wrapped up her chores in time to do field work. FFA has given her an opportunity to put a voice to her experiences on the farm and use those experiences to talk about the importance of agriculture on a greater scale. She’s become more comfortable and proficient at public speaking and it has

taught her what it truly means to be a leader. “I walked away knowing a leader isn’t always in charge; a leader just sets an example and shows everyone else the way,” she said. She explained that a leader needs their team members to create the whole and pulling in those who are shy, quiet or slow to get involved is important. As current chapter president, Breth oversees meetings once a month and assists with FFA activities two or three times a month. While she helps with planning some of the things, she tries to just keep watch of the overall goals of the chapter and let others do their job. “It’s an amazing skill to have,” she said. “FFA is an amazing way to obtain (leadership skills), (they) might not be perfected in the years Makayla Gertken (left) and Emily Breth pose with they’re in FFA, but it Breth’s one-day-old calf, Cinnamon. They brought definitely gives a good for the Cinnamon to the schools in Albany and Avon for a visit foundation future.” with the kids on farm safety day.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | National FFA Week • Page 5

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Belgrade, Brooten & Elrosa PHOTOS SUBMITTED

The BBA FFA chapter includes Nathan Walstrom (front row, from left), Santos Sorenson, Morgan Schwinghammer, Hillary Prentice, Olivia Thieschafer, Shelby Anderson, Emery Halvorson, Viktoria Clark; (second row) Ethan Spanier, Wyatt Engen, Presley Detloff, Grace Jackson, Nevaeh DeShay, Abbey Schoumaker, Mhina Reed, Isabella Graham, Tia Nelson; (third row) Luke Illies, Ethan Mueller, Brett DeRoo, Morgan Poepping, Summer Lundberg, Teresa Heinze, Kara Wold, Coby Schoumaker; (fourth row) Josh Walstrom, Ben Mastey, Carson Glienke, Nick Walstrom, Zach Schandorf, Kora Martinez; (back row) Aiden Radermacher, Parker Prentice, Max Heieie, Mason Eckstein, Ben Thonvold, Xavier Coners, and Logan Walz.

FFA CHAPTER

The BBE FFA officers are officer-atlarge Summer Lundberg (from left), treasurer Teresa Heinze, reporter Kara Wold, secretary Shelby Anderson, sentinel Ben Thonvold, president Hillary Prentice and vice president Olivia Thieschafer.

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Page 8 • National FFA Week | Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Pfluegers from page 7

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Clara Pflueger and her grandfather, LeRoy Pflueger, at the 2021 Stearns County Dairy Princess Banquet.

ter College for agriculture business next year. “It’s cool to see the fact that this is what feeds the world and this is a big part of the economy,” she said. She’s been involved in FFA since ninth grade, following the footsteps of a cousin who was in FFA. “It’s kind of a family thing,” she said. “I’ve always had an involvement in agriculture, so I thought it would be a good experience.” The students involved with FFA, she said, become like a little family. As a senior, she’s now been an officer with the organization for three years. “I’ve learned a lot about team work with being an officer,” she said. Not only does she work as treasurer, she serves on the dairy foods/milk quality team. At the regional competition this year, her team took first and all the members scored in the top 10 individually. The team is headed to state this spring. The students do everything from written tests on milk market-

LeRoy Pflueger teaches granddaughter, Clara Pflueger, how to weld in the shop on his farm.

“Just growing up around it, as I learn more about the dairy industry and what agriculture has to offer, it just keeps me interested.” - Clara Pflueger

ing and milk production to identifying different cheese types and their characteristics. They can identify different dairy products, like milk, cream and butter according to their fat content, and they participate in a defective milk competition to try and ﬁgure out

what the defect is in the milk and how strong it is. “It’s not always good,” she said. Though LeRoy retired from farming a few years ago, he still works part-time helping others. His work ethic, Clara said, has inspired her. “He’s always

worked really hard when he was milking cows to keep everything up and running,” she said. Now, at the age of 18, Clara works on a dairy farm milking and helps out at other farms when she’s needed. Through the years, she’s learned no matter how stressful a shift, there are positives. “Something will go together right and it will work out,” she said. “Just growing up around it, as I learn more about the dairy industry and what agriculture has to offer, it just keeps me interested.”

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PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Melrose FFA Chapter Members are Blaise Welle (front, from left), Theodore Poepping, Alyssa Scherping, Owen Feldewerd, Logan Frieler, Wyatt Scherping, Nicole Rademacher, Monika Frericks, Sophia Kasper, Levi Scherping, Alaina Schleper, Isabella Harren, and Maretta Van Beck; (second row) Karlyann Boecker, Philip Job, Austin Reuter, Ava Smith, Noah Moening, Emma Rohe, Jaiden Smith, Gretta Kasper, Megan Frieler, Thatcher Van Beck, Aiden Hellermann, Derick Rademacher, Breanna Loehr, Lila Kimmes; (back row) Skylar Niebergall, Trevor Blonigen, Trevor Thom, Katie Rohe, Briana Maus, Carter Roerick, Hunter Feldewerd, Meghan Pundsack, Victoria Blonigen, Brooks Holdvogt, Dan Frericks, Isaac Frericks, Carson Middendorf. Members not pictured are Brooklyn Budeau, Laila Frericks, Brandon Goebel, Grace Herdering, Collin Herkenhoff, Jon Job, Bailey Van Havermaet, Caden Van Havermaet, Max Welle, and Peyton Wensmann.

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The Melrose FFA Chapter Officers include Carter Roerick (from left), Hunter Feldewerd, Meghan Pundsack, Katie Rohe, Briana Maus, and Victoria Blonigen.

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Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | National FFA Week • Page 11

Melrose officer team Briana Maus Senior Parents: Darrel and Lisa Maus

Tell us about your FFA program and your involvement in it: The Melrose FFA is very successful and growing in numbers every year. I am currently in my fifth year in FFA and my third year as an officer. I compete on the floriculture CDE team, where I learn about flowers and plants. For my SAE, I work on my family’s dairy farm south of Freeport. Finally, I help out with the crop plot, chapter events and fruit sales. What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? One of the greatest benefits I have received from FFA is communication. I learned to ask my advisor or team members questions if they arise. I’m also more comfortable talking to larger groups of kids or other people. What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Some of my other hobbies include singing and dancing in musical productions. Showing dairy cattle at the county and state fairs, playing fastpitch softball and singing in my local church choir. What are your plans for the future? I hope to go to a four-year college for an ag major. Currently, I am undecided on what college to attend and what major to go into. What are your favorite: holidays, music and food and why? My favorite holiday is Christmas because I get to spend time with family that lives around the state. When it comes to music, I like listening to Spirit 92.9. Their music is always positive and inspirational. Finally, my favorite food is cheesecake! The cream is rich in flavor and there are many different kinds of cheesecake to choose from.

Hunter Feldewerd Junior Parents: Gary and Ashley Feldewerd Tell us about your FFA program and your involvement in it: I am an officer in the chapter. What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? I learned how to talk to more people. What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? I love hunting and working on engines. Teach for a diesel mechanic.

What are your plans for the future? I am planning on going to Alex

What are your favorite: holidays, music and food and why? Granger Smith; Chicken stuffing bake; Thanksgiving, because I get a whole pie from my grandma.

Katie Rohe Junior Parents: Mike and Deb Rohe Tell us about your FFA program and your involvement in it: I am currently a member of the leadership team and I also participate in the general livestock CDEs. What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? I have gotten so many opportunities to try new things as well as meet new people and make new friends. What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Farming. What are your plans for the future? I haven’t completely decided what I want to do yet, but I do know I want to stay involved in the ag community. What are your favorite: holidays, music and food and why? Country Music; Mac and cheese or steak; My favorite holiday is Christmas because I get to spend time with family I don’t usually see.

Meghan Pundsack Senior Parents: Kris and Pam Pundsack Tell us about your FFA program and your involvement in it: Our program is very successful and we have lots of members in it. I’ve been in FFA for five years and been an officer for three years. I’ve competed in many CDEs/LDEs and have an SAE. What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? I would say friends, for sure. I’ve met so many new people that I still talk to today! Also, FFA has brought so many new opportunities to me! What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Golf, swimming and gymnastics [are] my sports. I love working out and being active. I love being outside with my farm animals, and hanging out with my friends. What are your plans for the future? I don’t know for sure what I want to do, but I know I want to go to college and be successful! What are your favorite: holidays, music and food and why? Christmas – Jesus is born and I get to see everyone!; I like country, rap and pop; Chicken Alfredo and lots of fruit

Carter Roerick Junior Victoria Blonigen Senior

Parents: Allen and Janelle Roerick

Parents: Willy and Judy Blonigen Tell us about your FFA program and your involvement in it: I am an officer in FFA and have been in it for five years. It is very successful and has many members. What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? FFA has given me so many opportunities and I have made lots of friends. What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Reading, hanging out with friends and being outside. What are your plans for the future? I will probably go to Alex or Willmar for a two-year college; I don’t know for what yet. What are your favorite: holidays, music and food and why? Christmas; Anything country; Pickles.

Tell us about your FFA program and your involvement in it: I am involved in the Melrose FFA leadership team. I am also involved in a general livestock CDE. What is the greatest benefit you have received from being involved in FFA? You get to meet a bunch of new people and get to go to new places. What other hobbies and interests do you have outside of FFA? Farming and hunting, and I raise a few goats. What are your plans for the future? I plan to go to college for dairy or ag management and then take over the family farm. What are your favorite: holidays, music and food and why? Christmas; Country music; steak. I like Christmas because your get to see your family that you don’t see that often.

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National FFA convention a

memorable experience BY DIANE LEUKAM STAFF WRITER

Mitchell Christen (top) and Simon Marthaler show off their FFA jackets in October 2021 at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

SAUK CENTRE – The 94th annual National FFA Convention was held in October 2021, and three of the approximately 58,000 attendees were from the Sauk Centre FFA Chapter. Advisor Tami Gerads made the trip to Indianapolis, along with junior members Mitchell Christen and Simon Marthaler. The two were not involved in any competitions, but took in three days’ worth of events, sights and sounds in a phenomenon that represents some half-million National FFA members, advisors and guests from all around the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “At the expo, there were a lot of booths set up, and there were different tractors,” Christen said. “One of the coolest things was YouTubers from Montana, Welker Farms. We were just walking by the booth and someone said, ‘10 minutes and you will be able to talk to them.’ So we stopped, got in line and got photos and signed hats; that was pretty cool.” In an effort to educate the public on farming on their page, Welker Farms uploads videos of

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

Simon Marthaler (left) and Mitchell Christen pose by an FFA banner at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October 2021.

what they do on the farm, to the delight of their more then 524,000 subscribers. Both Christen and Marthaler have followed their page. Also of interest to the

guys during the trip were seeing the Indianapolis Speedway, attending a rodeo and country music concert. “It was Brett Young and Alex Miller, who

was on ‘Idol’ a couple years ago [as the] opener,” Marthaler said.

FFA convention page 14

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Page 14 • National FFA Week | Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Advisor

Q&A’s Tami Gerads Sauk Centre FFA PHOTO SUBMITTED

Simon Marthaler (front, from left) and Mitchell Christen chat with YouTubers Scott (back, from left) and Nick Welker of Montana. Marthaler and Christen had their photos taken and hats signed by the well-known farm personalities.

How long have you been the advisor for your FFA chapter? This year is my fourth year being the advisor for the Sauk Centre FFA chapter. Please tell us about your chapter: Our chapter has grown significantly this year, now that we are able to have a more “normal” year. We currently have 25 members compared to the 16 we had last year, and a few more students have shown interest in joining yet. We currently have one team that will be competing at State Convention. We are a small but mighty group; almost every single one of our members is active in some competition, or shows up to help with the various events that we put on throughout the year.

FFA convention from page 13 Their journey to the convention began Oct. 25, when they boarded one of two large coach buses carrying a group of attendees from Region 5 and Region 3. There were many stops along the way to pick up people from other chapters. On the return trip, they drove through the night and arrived back home late on Oct. 30. They brought with them memories of workshop sessions, conversations with other FFA members, seeing awards given for CDE winners and American Degrees, along with all the other fun events they attended. Would they recommend the experience to other FFA members? “Yeah, I would,” Marthaler said. “You get to see a lot of people and it’s really interesting.” As a member of the Sauk Centre chapter, Marthaler is currently serving as the reporter. Some of his duties include taking photos and creating a scrapbook for the end of the year, as well as posting on social media. In the past, he has conducted chapter meetings as part of competing is an officer team in parliamentary procedure. Marthaler, 16, is the son of Jason and Angie Marthaler, and has an older sister, April. In the future, he would like to work with his father at MBC Drainage in Sauk Centre. Christen is 17 and serves as the vice president this year, after being the secretary last year. He is part of the poultry team that competed at the regional level in early January, when all five of the team members scored in the top 10, giving them the top finish in the region. They will follow this up with the state competition at the Minnesota FFA Convention to be held April 24-26 at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Christen, 17, is the son of Glen and Becky Christen and brother to Alissa, Alex, Noah, Olivia and Clara. He works on their dairy farm south of Sauk Centre and is a wrestler for the Sauk Centre-Melrose wrestling team. His plans for the future include a two-year program at a vo-tech school, but he is keeping his options open. “I’m not sure yet,” he said. “If nothing else, I’ll be back at the farm.”

What do you enjoy most about your work as a chapter advisor? What I enjoy most is inspiring the members to try new things and get out of their comfort zone, and then watching them grow as individuals and as leaders not only in our chapter, but in the school and community as well. What are the biggest challenges you have experienced as an advisor? Some of the biggest challenges I have faced as an advisor with the last few years is getting new members. This year we have done very well, but the first handful of years it was hard to try and pull in new students and get the chapter to grow. COVID had some to do with that, but the ag department and advisor position had been a revolving door of someone new for the past handful of years, that it was hard for the kids to want to join when they never knew if their teacher or advisor was going to stay past that year. What was the scope of your FFA experience as a student? When I was a student in FFA, I had an amazing experience. My experience in FFA combined with the advisor we had at the time is what made me decide I wanted to become an Agriculture teacher. I had a great advisor that pushed us to get out of our comfort zone and to try something new and make new friends. I was able to come away with various great experiences and grow as an individual. Our chapter was very close with everyone and we really did feel like a family. I did have a lot of family in the chapter at that time, but regardless, everyone in the chapter made sure that no one was left behind and everyone felt welcomed and wanted there. Is there anything else you care to tell us about your work with FFA? I love being able to still be a part of FFA and hope to always be a part of the organization in some way, even after I am done teaching and being an advisor. It is such a different and unique organization that is so beneficial for students to be in. I really do highly encourage every student to at least try it out and give it a chance, and see what they come away with.

Know our achievements 85.9%

Majority of ffa members plan to attend college4

4. Represents both two-and-four year college plans, based on a 2020 members survey.

Source: https://ffa.app.box.com

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | National FFA Week • Page 15

Gary Rodgers

Megan Seifert

How long have you been the advisor for your FFA chapter? 36 years, all at Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa

How long have you been the advisor for your FFA chapter? I have been FFA Advisor at Melrose for 7.5 years

Belgrade-Brooten -Elrosa FFA

Melrose FFA

Please tell us about your chapter: Students can join FFA in 7th grade when they can start taking Agriculture classes. Each year, BBE has between 8 to 11 Career Development teams qualify to compete at the State level. I encourage any FFA member who would qualify for the State FFA Degree (the highest degree a member can attain in the State) to complete the application and go through the interview process. BBE FFA usually has between 4 and 11 State Degree recipients each year.

Please tell us about your chapter: Melrose FFA currently has 51 members at the local level. We focus a lot on leadership and competition activities, with a lot of fun along the way! We currently have one team (Floriculture) that has advanced to State, as well as four students applying for their State Degree. We have grown a lot in my time here at Melrose and I am excited to see where the students take our chapter in the future! What do you enjoy most about your work as a chapter advisor? What I enjoy most is my students. I have had a number of students pass through the program in the last seven years and each and every one of them has brought new perspectives to our chapter. I enjoy getting to know them and work with them. They teach me just as much as I teach them! I get to see a different side of them when we are out and about at events and am always impressed with their growth from year to year.

What do you enjoy most about your work as a chapter advisor? I like working with kids and coaching FFA teams. What are the biggest challenges you have experienced as an advisor? Last year with Covid restrictions! Most Career Development Events are hands-on. Competing “virtually” doesn’t even come close to competing in person.

What are the biggest challenges you have experienced as an advisor? The biggest challenge I face on a year-to-year basis is the general public’s perception of FFA. A lot of people still view it as the “Future Farmers of America” and think that they have to live, or desire to live, on a farm. FFA has become the nation’s largest student-led organization that offers so much professionally for students. Students get the ability to work on their public speaking skills, work with the community and dive into all aspects of agriculture, including ag business, communications, etc.

What was the scope of your FFA experience as a student? I had two awesome Ag teachers when I was in high school. Because of them, I knew I wanted to teach Ag when I was in 9th grade and took every Ag class we had and competed on every team I could. Growing up on a small dairy farm by Eagle Bend, my parents never traveled anywhere. But, through the FFA, I was able to travel to National FFA Conventions, the Washington Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, etc. Competing on teams in high school led me to competing while attending college at the University of Minnesota where we traveled to many states throughout the country. I saw so many more things my other seven siblings didn’t have the opportunity to see.

What was the scope of your FFA experience as a student? As a student, I was very involved in the chapter, region and state level of FFA. I participated in contests, conventions and leadership opportunities whenever I could!

Is there anything else you care to tell us about your work with FFA? If you haven’t already, take an Ag class, join a team (FFA, FCCLA, sports, speech, etc), take on a job at a local business, volunteer in your community, etc. Venture outside your comfort zone!

Is there anything else you care to tell us about your work with FFA? Try it out! I always tell students that if they show up and then decide it isn’t for them, that is okay. There are so many opportunities to be involved in and you can be as involved as you want to be!

FFA Members

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