FFA Summer Yields Success

Post date: Oct 29, 2018 3:48:45 PM

Awarded Best Represented Chapter at the West River Leadership Retreat, FFA members Landon Kuenzel, Jazlynn Millhouse, Kordell Kuenzel, Randi Tivis, Danika Gordon, Lauren Fritz, Haley Ferguson and John Petersen hold the recognition plaque. photo by Brianna Larson

Danika Gordon, FFA Reporter

Sturgis FFA members were kept busy this past summer as they participated in activities and prepared for the 2018-19 school year.

In June, six members traveled to Redfield, S.D., to compete in the annual Rangeland and Soil Days competition.

The soils team, consisting of Sturgis FFA members Kylie Shaw, Lauren Fritz, Randi Tivis and Hunter Eide, from the Gettysburg FFA chapter, qualified to compete at the National Range and Land competition held in Oklahoma City next May as a Meade County 4-H team. Sturgis FFA members John Pedersen (2nd Place in Scouts), Jazlynn Millhouse (5th Place in Scouts) and Danika Gordon (8 Place in Go Getter) also competed as individuals in the Range Judging competition.

During July, members Landon Kuenzel, Kordell Kuenzel, Jazlynn Millhouse, John Petersen, Tivis, Danika Gordon, Lauren Fritz, and Haley Ferguson headed off to Camp Bob Marshall near Custer, S.D., and went to FFA Leadership Retreat. At camp, the members participated in community service projects, sharpened their leadership skills, and met FFA members from all across the state.

Chapter President Tivis said, “Along with the new friends we made at camp, our fellow chapter members always have our backs to offer a helping hand, or to just make us smile.”

The Sturgis FFA was then awarded the Best Represented Chapter at the West River Leadership Retreat.

Over the summer months, applications from state winning AgriScience Fair Projects and Proficiency Award winners are to sent to The National FFA office for national judging. We are very proud to announce one of our member’s AgriScience Fair applications has been selected as a National Finalist Project and will move on to the final round of Judging in Indianapolis in October.

Gordon’s AgriScience Fair Project focuses on South Dakota Ag Producers, asking, “Where do you prefer to get ag news?”

Danika will compete against other members from across the country in the Social Systems category.

This August, FFA members attended the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, S.D., where some of them showed livestock, worked the Ag Adventures Building and Petting Zoo and helped serve food in the Pork Producers and The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association booths over Labor Day weekend. During this time Chapter Officers spent time developing their Plan of Action for the year, including community service projects and events.

If anyone has a community service project he or she would like to see the Sturgis FFA Chapter help with, or if there is an event for officers to attend, please contact Miss Larson at Brianna.Larson@k12.sd.us.

Overall, according to members, the Sturgis FFA has had a busy and successful summer and look forward to a busy and successful school year.