Wisconsin shines at National FFA Convention
Wisconsin FFA members walked away from the National FFA Convention laying claim to one national officer, one Star award and five National Proficiency Award winners. The National FFA Convention was held here October 19 through 22.
Alicia Hodnik of Big Foot FFA Chapter in Walworth became Wisconsin's sixth FFA member to be selected as a national officer and the first since Jackie Mundt of Pittsville served as national president in 2004-05. Hodnik was selected to serve as the National FFA central region vice president, joining five young men on the officer team, including Ryan Best of N.M., president; Jason Troendle of St.Charles, Minn., secretary; Kenneth Quick Jr. of Granville, N.Y., eastern region vice president; Cain Thurmond of Jefferson, Ga., southern regional vice president; and Seth Pratt of Blackfoot, Idaho, western region vice president.
Hodnik is familiar to many FFA members in Wisconsin since she is the immediate-past president of the Wisconsin FFA, and she served as state FFA secretary a year earlier. She is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls majoring in agricultural education with an emphasis in biotechnology. She is the daughter of Fred and Debra Hodnik and Donald Weber and Sharon Montgomery. Her FFA advisors are Rick Henningfeld and Lisa Konkel.
Collectively, Hodnik and other members of the national officer team will travel more than 100,000 miles as they meet with top leaders in business, government and education and lead personal growth and leadership training seminars for FFA members. The team also will help set policies that will shape the future of the National FFA Organization and promote agricultural literacy, according to the National FFA.
Star in Agriscience
Keith Bollinger, a member of the Cochrane-Fountain City FFA Chapter, was named the FFA Star in Agriscience during the Stars Over America ceremony. He is the son of Allen and Dorothy Bollinger of Buffalo City, and his FFA advisors are Christine Jumback and Chris Ritscher.
Bollinger attends UW-Stevens Point, majoring in wildlife ecology, and he plans to pursue a master's degree in natural resources and become a natural-resource biologist.
His Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) involved a wide variety of activities in the natural-resource area, including counting Sandhill cranes, monitoring water quality of two local streams, raising and releasing Galerucella Beetles to help control purple loosestrife, restoring bluff prairies and volunteering with both the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He was hired as a USFWS biological technician, where he surveyed bald eagles and heron rookeries, sampled aquatic vegetation and gained training in silviculture. He has been a part of the Student Temporary Employment Program with USFWS.
Four national finalists competed in each of four categories - American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience - for the organization's top awards. The awards honor students who developed outstanding agricultural skills through their SAE, demonstrated outstanding management skills, earned the American FFA Degree and met other ag education, scholastic and leadership requirements. While at the National FFA Convention, each finalist was interviewed by a panel of judges. Bollinger received a plaque and an award of $4000.
National Proficiency Awards
Five Wisconsin FFA members were awarded National FFA Proficiency Awards:
• Brad Laack was named the National FFA Proficiency Award winner in Dairy Production - Placement. He is employed at two local dairies as a night herdsman and weekend milker. His responsibilities include artificial insemination, health care, selecting sires, breeding and milking. He learned A.I. so he could breed his own cows and gradually build his own herd. He is a member of the Plymouth FFA Chapter, and his FFA advisors are Don Mier, Marilyn Hahn and Walter Terry.
• Tyler Meister was awarded the National FFA Proficiency Award in Forest Management and Production. He is the fourth generation to work in his family's sawmills. He has gained experience by working in all positions, including stacking lumber, running the saws, operating wheel loaders and calculating output. He plans to get his commercial driver's license so he can drive the operation's log trucks and semis. He is a member of the Reedsburg FFA Chapter, and his FFA advisors are Nick Casey and Todd Cherney.
• Trenton Bemis was named the National FFA Proficiency Award winner in Fruit Production. He is the fourth generation of his family involved in cranberry production. He works at one of five facilities in the state that packages fresh cranberries, helping to produce two percent of Ocean Spray's fresh cranberries. He is a member of the Lincoln ACHM FFA Chapter, and Rich Larson is his FFA advisor.
• Bridget Achterberg, a member of the Abbotsford FFA Chapter, started her swine operation by purchasing her first 10 pigs from her grandparents. She won the National FFA Proficiency Award in Swine Production - Entrepreneurship. She started breeding show pigs, learning to artificially inseminate the gilts. She also mastered the skills of vaccinating, clipping teeth, dipping navels, castrating and herd health. John Slipek is her FFA advisor.
• Devon Feldt worked with biologists and mentors to develop skills in his SAE, and that work enabled him to earn the National FFA Proficiency Award in Wildlife Production and Management. He joined the American Wilderness Leadership School in Wyoming and studied porcupines. He learned how to trap, scan and process animals. He developed skills that helped gain information on their movements, actions and interactions within the environment. He is a member of the Waupaca FFA Chapter, where his advisors are Jennifer Erb and Rene Lehman.
Agriscience, Judging Events
In the National FFA Agriscience Fair competition, David Pintens and Grandon Scheil, both of Barron FFA, earned a first-place gold rating in engineering, and Josh Cherek of Spencer FFA earned a third-place gold, also in engineering. In the biochemistry category, microbiology and food science category, Jacob Kafer and Megan Hurlburt of Cochrane-Fountain City FFA, received a fifth-place gold rating, Aaron Zimmerman of Spencer FFA received a sixth-place gold, and Kylee Lofthus of New Auburn FFA received a seventh-place gold. In the Botany category, the team of Levi Lang and Matt Schommer, both of Pardeeville FFA, received a fifth-place gold rating, and Ruth Feltham of Big Foot FFA received a tenth-place gold rating.
In the Career Development Events, the Waunakee FFA dairy-cattle evaluation team received a seventh-place gold rating, and Bryce Krull of Lake Mills FFA received a gold rating in the dairy-cattle handling contest. The Elkhart Lake FFA team received a fifth-place gold in floriculture judging, and Jenna Mehre ranked as the fifth-place gold individual and Kira Ruechel earned tenth gold. Lisa Chou of Oconto Falls FFA was awarded the fifth-place gold individual rating in food science and technology judging, and the meat-evaluation team from River Ridge FFA received the seventh-place gold rating.
National FFA Alumni
The National FFA Alumni Association Convention was held concurrently with the National FFA Convention. Wisconsin, with 8646 FFA alumni members, was named the state with the most FFA alumni members. Wisconsin also had the highest percentage of FFA members, at 47 percent, and the most FFA Alumni life members, with 5127. The state received a gold rating for its state website, was recognized for having 100 percent state officer FFA life membership and received the Stars and Blue Blazer Award. Stoughton FFA Alumni received a gold rating for its scrapbook, and Denmark FFA Alumni received a gold rating both for its alumni association website and newsletter.
Five chapters were selected to receive local-program support grants: Brookwood FFA, Hustisford FFA, Janesville Parker FFA, Merrill FFA and Weston FFA.
Twenty-one individuals received Legion of Merit Awards. They were Darlene Arneson, Thelma Behnke, Floyd Behnke, Kathy Breunig, Virgie Damp, John Elvekrog, James Grasee, Joyce Gust, Tracy Heinbuch, Darrell Hines, Robert Keough, Larry Lader, Sandra Maerny, Harold Seebecker, Janice Seebecker, Ken Seering, Jan Stranz, Eugene Sperry, Cheryl Van Rite, Jerry Wendt and Robert Wolfe.
