Area FFA Chapters attend State Convention
Fourteen BEA students and 42 USC students attend FFA State

Fourteen Blue Earth Area FFA Chapter members attended the State FFA Convention on April 21-23. They are pictured above, left. In the back row are Madison Enger, left, and Marie Carr, right. In the fourth row are Ruby Allis, left, Madison Ehrich, middle, and Ellaina Moore, right. In the third row, left to right, are Grace Schavey, Rhionna Weerts, Abbey Lorenz and Lindsey Rose. In the second row are Leah Becker, left, Jacob Murray, middle, and Lexi Muehring, right. In the front row are Taylor Ripley, left, and Chloe Groe, right. There were also forty-two United South Central FFA Chapter members who attended State FFA.
The Blue Earth Area and United South Central Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapters attended the Minnesota State FFA Convention at the University of Minnesota and the State Fairgrounds on April 21-23.
Forty-two USC FFA members competed in contests and award activities, while 14 BEA FFA members participated in contests and the FFA State Chorus and Band. In all, over 5,000 FFA members and guests from across Minnesota attended the convention.
The students qualified to compete in State FFA judging contests on April 21-22 through regional competitions held earlier in the year. USC FFA members competed in a total of 11 contests at State, while BEA FFA members competed in three contests.
The BEA FFA Horse Team placed 34th in the Horse Evaluating Contest to receive a silver rating, with individual member Chloe Groe receiving a gold rating, Ellaina Moore receiving a silver rating and Marie Carr and Rhionna Weerts receiving bronze ratings.
USC’s Horse Team placed 41st out of 58 teams to receive a bronze rating. Individually, Claire Schimek received a gold rating, and Alyssa Winkle, Sydney Sauke and Josephina Olsen received bronze.
The USC Milk Quality Team placed 20th out of 48 teams to receive a silver rating. Individually, Josh Brooks, Chloe Lutteke and Riley Getchell were rated silver, and Emma Van Bourgonje was rated bronze.
Meanwhile, BEA’s Milk Quality Team placed 30th to receive a silver rating. Abbey Lorenz received a gold rating individually, and Alexis Muehring received silver. Jacob Murray and Leah Becker received bronze.
USC’s General Livestock Evaluation Team placed 25th out of 66 teams and was rated silver. Individually, Wyatt Rauenhorst received a gold rating, as did Macy Sonnek. Ivy O’Rourke and Jace Ignazewski received silver.
BEA’s General Livestock Evaluation Team placed 50th for a bronze rating. Madison Ehrich received a silver rating, while individuals Grace Shavey, Lindsey Rose and Ruby Allis received bronze ratings.
The USC Dairy Cattle Evaluation Team placed 33rd out of 62 teams in the contest to receive a silver rating. Individually, Garrett Lau received gold, Kendal Harpestad received silver, and McKenzie Roberts and Madison Meyer received bronze.
USC’s Senior Parliamentary Procedure Team also earned a silver rating and placed ninth out of 18 teams. The team included Josh Brooks, Hannah Warmka, Jaiden Gossen, Paige Petrolla, Maya Hansen, Karly Koehler and Addie Mithun.
Meanwhile, USC’s Freshman Parliamentary Procedure Team placed eighth out of 18 teams for a silver rating. The team members included O’Rourke, Rauenhorst, Sauke, Julianna Clore, Schimek, Mitchell Meyer and Lau.
The USC FFA Floriculture team placed 20th out of 50 teams and received a silver rating. Individually, Carissa Hanson and Kylee Koziolek received gold, Jaelyn Stangler received silver and Hannah Niebuhr received bronze.
USC’s FFA Nursery/Landscape Judging Team placed 17th out of 40 teams for a silver rating, with Jake Cassens receiving gold individually, Braxton O’Rourke and Nolan Polkow receiving silver and Kolt Bullerman receiving bronze.
USC’s Best Informed Greenhand Team placed 20th out of 67 teams for a gold rating. Team members included Ivy O’Rourke and Jayden Barnick, who received gold ratings, and Drew Bullerman, Zayden Willette and Sauke, who received silver.
The USC FFA Soils Judging Team placed 12th out of 46 teams to earn a gold rating. Individually, Caleb Warmka earned gold, while Kolbe Segebart, Lucas Yokiel and Aaron Johnson received silver.
USC’s Farm Business Management Team placed 12th out of 47 teams for a gold rating. Individually, Elizabeth Meyer and Mitchell Meyer received gold and Madison Passer and Clore received silver.
In addition to the judging contests held at FFA State, State FFA Degrees and Proficiency Awards were also presented to several students.
Nine USC FFA members received Proficiency Awards after earning top honors for their supervised ag projects. Johnson was recognized for having the top project in the Specialty Crop Production category, which qualifies him to advance to the National FFA Convention.
Meanwhile, Hunter Bruckhoff, Zale Bushlack, Nathaniel Clore, CJ Schumann, Cassens, Josh Brooks, Passer and Elizabeth Meyer placed second and third in their respective project areas.
Six USC FFA members also received the State FFA Degree, which is the highest level of membership bestowed by the State of Minnesota FFA. They were Meyer, Blake Bullerman, Getchell, Segebart, Passer and Brooks.
“The six members who earned their degree this year are to be commended on a job well done,” USC FFA advisor Dan Dylla observes. “The degree is awarded to less than three percent of State FFA members each year.”
BEA also had two students perform in the State FFA Chorus and Band. Becker played in the band, while Taylor Ripley sang in the choir.
“Madison Enger and Taylor Ripley also represented our chapter as our official delegates to discuss topics in FFA and vote on constitutional changes,” BEA FFA advisor Nick Milbrandt adds.
Both schools’ FFA advisors are pleased with their chapter’s performance at State FFA.
“The members went with very high expectations for themselves and their teams,” Dylla says. “Many of their goals were achieved, and in many cases surpassed.”
He concludes, “(USC’s) chapter has been led by a super group of seniors who will be missed for their excellent leadership abilities and hard work. Each member is to be commended for a fantastic State FFA Convention.”