Five area FFA members garner first place proficiency awards at state convention

Julie Buntjer, The Daily Globe, Worthington, Minn.
·5 min read

May 3—ST. PAUL — From individual honors to team events, area FFA chapters brought home numerous awards from the 2022 Minnesota FFA Convention, conducted April 24-26 on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campuses.

Proficiency awards were presented to FFA members who excelled within their Supervised Agricultural Experience. This included recordkeeping for hours worked, tasks completed, and income and expenses.

Receiving first place in their respective categories were Kamryn Beckmann, Heron Lake-Okabena FFA, veterinary science; Madelyn Schumacher, Heron Lake-Okabena, fruit production; Lydia Rylaarsdam, Edgerton, agricultural processing; Jayson Delfs, Edgerton, agricultural mechanics design and fabrication; and Emily Nelson, Pipestone, diversified crop production entrepreneurship.

Madelyn Koep, Heron Lake-Okabena, received second place proficiency in agricultural sales placement, while Kalen McNab, Heron Lake-Okabena, earned third place proficiency in agricultural sales placement. Additional third place proficiency winners were Cooper Gehrke, Hills-Beaver Creek, environmental science and natural resources management; and Carter Hartz, Hills-Beaver Creek, fiber and/or oil crop production.

Jaden Weinkauf, Edgerton, was a regional finalist for the Minnesota FFA Star in Agri-Business award.

Statewide, 349 agricultural education students were awarded the Minnesota FFA State Degree at this year's convention. The degree is given to the top members of a State FFA Association, and only 2% of Minnesota FFA members earn the degree. It demonstrates the student has put an exceptional amount of time into their Supervised Agricultural Experience, local chapter, and community.

Recipients from this area included: Braelyn Kracht and Jaden Weinkauf, Edgerton; Adrian Schwaller, Fulda; Evan Madsen, Ellyson Bang, Kamryn Beckmann, Taylor Haberman, and Madelyn Koep, Heron Lake Okabena; Samantha Moser, Carter Hartz, Andrew Harris, Danette Leenderts and Donavon Leenderts, Hills-Beaver Creek; Payten Benda, Alana Freking, Kade Zishka, Molly Turner, Maia Reed, Keenan Ambrose, Dylan Withers and Zach Rasmussen, Jackson County Central; Devyn Rempel, Miriam Rete, Ian Penner, Kade Wassman, Haily Green and Aiden Rehnelt, Mountain Lake; Cole Paulson, Josephine Sutherland, Tyenna Muller and Emily Nelson, Pipestone Area; and Isaiah Noble, Alex Mazariegos, Luke Gordon, Abby Bristow, Emmalee Bosma, Kendall Nixon, Bailey Newman, Nakia Evans, Eli Hansberger, Matthew Becker, Riley Widboom and Austin Barber, Worthington.

Following is a list of teams who earned Top 10 placings in state CDE contests, with individuals who placed in the Top 10 also listed.

Agricultural Communications: Mountain Lake, fifth-place team.

Agricultural Mechanics: Jackson County Central, first-place team, Zachary Rasmussen (first individual), Daniel Stubbe (second individual), Joseph Mohr (third individual), and Keenan Ambrose (ninth individual); Windom, sixth-place team, Cooper Bramstedt (eighth individual); Luverne-Adrian, ninth-place team.

Agricultural Sales: Jackson County Central, second place team, Lucas Vesey (first-place individual), Payten Benda (fourth place individual).

Crops: Jackson County Central, third-place team, Rachel Tusa (second place individual).

Farm and Agribusiness Management: Jackson County Central, sixth-place team. Kody Wassman, Mountain Lake (fifth place individual). Dylan Withers, JCC (10th place individual).

Fish and Wildlife Management: Worthington, 10th place team.

Floriculture: Murray County Central, third-place team; Jackson County Central, ninth-place team; Pipestone Area, 10th place team. Kade Wassman, Mountain Lake (fifth place individual); Ellyson Bang, Heron Lake-Okabena (10th place individual).

Food Science and Technology: Heron Lake-Okabena, fourth-place team; Pipestone Area, fifth-place team. Madelyn Koep, HL-O (10th place individual).

Forestry: Mountain Lake, fifth-place team; Caden Swoboda (10th place individual).

Livestock Evaluation: Murray County Central, third-place team; Jackson County Central, ninth-place team; Pipestone Area, 10th place team. Tyenna Muller, Pipestone (third place individual). Jaden Weinkauf, Edgerton (fifth place individual).

Marketing Plan: Worthington, sixth-place team.

Meats Evaluation: Pipestone Area, second place team; Edgerton, fourth-place team; Heron Lake-Okabena, fifth-place team; Westbrook-Walnut Grove, sixth-place team; and Jackson County Central, seventh-place team. Chloe Kracht, Edgerton (second place individual). Evan Madsen, HL-O (third place individual). Aurora Winsel, Pipestone (fourth place individual); Braelyn Kracht, Edgerton (sixth place individual); Rylee Folkerts, Pipestone (seventh place individual).

Milk Quality: Westbrook-Walnut Grove, fifth-place team. Kelsey DeSmith (third place individual).

Nursery and Landscape: Heron Lake-Okabena, eighth-place team, Faith Freking (sixth place individual).

Poultry Evaluation: Westbrook-Walnut Grove, second place team, Luke DeSmith (fourth place individual), Elijah Merrick (seventh place individual); Jackson County Central, fifth-place team.

Soils: Westbrook-Walnut Grove, second place team, Colton Carter (fourth place individual), Leah Carter (fifth place individual); Jackson County Central, third-place team, Georgianna Wenzel (third place individual), Destiny Timmer (ninth place individual).

Employment Skills: Payten Benda, Jackson County Central, fourth place.

Extemporaneous Speaking: Lillian Mohning, Jackson County Central, eighth place.

Parliamentary Procedure: Jackson County Central, third place.

Prepared Public Speaking: Chloe Olivier, Pipestone Area FFA, fourth place.

Best Informed Greenhand: Jackson County Central, second; Kayleigh Nosbusch (eighth individual), Jamie Edlin (10th individual).

The Ellsworth FFA Chapter was among 19 Minnesota chapters to be recognized as newly chartered between 2020 and 2022, bringing the number of chapters statewide to more than 200, with about 35,000 students taking food, agriculture and natural resource classes.

Participating in the State FFA Band were: Kiara Lewis, Ellsworth, French horn; Tyrae Goodface, Hills-Beaver Creek, tenor saxophone; and Colton Pottratz, Pipestone, tuba. The area's FFA chorus participant was Johnna Gardiner, Mountain Lake.

Southwest Minnesota is home to the top-placing talent act, performed by Grant and Brayden Oakland, Mountain Lake.

Stan Vander Kooi, adult farm management instructor at Buffalo and a native of rural Worthington, was one of eight individuals inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame during the state convention.