Meet the 2024-2025 Officers!
President - Carolynn Backes
Year: Senior
Bio: Hello! My name is Carolynn Backes and I have the honor of serving as the New London FFA President. I have been in FFA for 3 years. I have participated in LDEs and CDEs as well as attended conventions, and helped with community service. I am also involed in 4-H and a local rec softball league. I live on a small hobby farm that helped me to realize my love for agriculture. In my future I would like to become a livestock geneticist.
Favorite FFA Event: My favorite event in FFA are CDE competitions. I love that these competitions help our members to find their passions for possible future occupations. After joining the Livestock CDE I was able to find my true passion, because of the livestock CDE I am better able to raise my own livestock to look desirable for the fair. I love the competition atmosphere as well. I am a very competitive person and I really enjoy trying my best with my knowledge and trying to win. This can also include deciding the feed and the genetics I want in my herd.
Post-Secondary Goals: My post secondary goals are to attend college at South Dakota State University. I want to major in Animal Sciences - Science Specialization. I want to become an animal geneticist. I would also like to move out West and own a ranch.
SAE: My SAEs are Diversified Livestock and Sheep Production. With the Diversified Livestock I help to take care of the steers, sheep, pigs, goats, rabbits, and chickens on my farm. I take care of all veterinary and most reproductive aspects of the farm. With my sheep I raise them for fair and take care of everything that is involved with them. This can also include deciding feed and the genetics I want in my herd.
Vice President - Evan Retzlaff
Year: Senior
Bio: Hi! My name is Evan Retzlaff, I grew up raising sheep and chickens and I still raise them now today. 4K-1st grade I went to school at Oconto Falls Elementary School. My Second and Third grade years were at Longfellow Elementary in Clintonville. My 4th-8th grade years were at Emanuel Lutheran School in New London. I joined 4-H in kindergarten and am a Waupaca county 4-H ambassador today. I have been an officer the past 2 years and love to work for the FFA.
Favorite FFA Event: Ag Olympics is my favorite event because it is where I can compete with other FFA members with calf hutch carry, pumpkin carving, and rutabaga toss.
Post-Secondary Goals: My post-secondary goals are to become an Agriculture teacher at River falls and raise sheep and chickens for as long as possible.
SAE: My SAE includes the raising and showing of sheep, chickens, turkeys, and my dairy heifer. I also help around the farm with other animals such as pigs, goats, dogs, and cats. I also help grow a garden each year and cut, rake, and bail hay. I work on Hintzdale Dairy LLC in Marion as a milker.
Secretary - Kimberly Murphy
Year: Senior
Bio: Hi! My name is Kimberly Murphy. I am so excited to serve this year as the Secretary. I live on a 500 head dairy farm. I Love being a part of the FFA. I have participated in dairy judging and hope to expand my knowledge in that. I also show dairy cattle at the county fair each year. I have been an FFA member for 6 years now and am excited to be Secretary this year.
Favorite FFA Event: My favorite FFA event is pizza making because you get to talk to all the members that have sold pizzas as you are making them.
Post-Secondary Goals: After high school, I want to attend college and continue to work on the family farm. I hope to be a co-owner of the farm and continue to work with the cows.
SAE: My SAE is dairy production placement. I work on my family's farm and my main responsibility is taking care of the calves. I feed the calves daily, bed them when they need it and do other basic care things. It is also my responsibility to make sure they are not getting sick and to treat them if they are getting sick. I also work out in the milking barn with the milking cows and scrape their pens and clean the milking robot for them.
Treasurer - Danielle Tank
Year: Junior
Bio: I'm Danielle Tank, and I am this year's treasurer. I am a junior, I've been in FFA for 4 years and enjoy doing LDE's, dairy judging, and many other FFA activities. Outside of FFA, I do bowling, volleyball, and band.
Favorite FFA Event: One of my favorite events is CDE's. Over the years, I've done agronomy and dairy judging, but I've always enjoyed dairy judging more (and I've had a little more success). It's always fun to go to World Dairy Expo and to River Falls, even if we don't make it to state.
Post-Secondary Goals: After high school, I plan to go to a four year college and get a degree in architecture.
SAE: My SAE is beef production. In my SAE, I help on our family farm by feeding and watering the animals, cleaning up after them, and many other things. I also take care of our dairy animals, which I show at the fair.
Reporter - Morgan Williams
Year: Senior
Bio: Hi, My name is Morgan Williams, I have grown up with some sort of animal in my life for as long as I can recall. I enjoy everything that has to do with animals and would like to explore a career in the animal field. I currently have 4 goats one of which just had triplets, I plan to show my goat and 1 of her babies in the Waupaca County Fair again this year through the FFA. This is my first year as an officer and I am very excited for the responsibility and experience I hope to get out of being one of your 2024-2025 FFA officers!
Favorite FFA Event: My favorite event through FFA would definitely be the petting zoos, I love being able to see the smiles on all the little kids faces, getting to see how happy it makes them makes me happy!
Post-Secondary Goals: I would like to do something in the agriculture field related to animals. Having many animals myself I love everything that goes into an animal and being able to see your sucess through raising them and helping them become the best they can be. I love taking care of animals because I like being able to help them and I truly enjoy working with them.
SAE: My SAE includes raising, showing and breeding of my goats. I also help my parent around the property with care of our many other animals. Through this SAE it has taught me more about these animals and their needs. I enjoy spending time with animals so this was a great way to get recognized for it.
Sentinel - Claire Klotzbuecher
Year: Senior
Bio: Hello my name is Claire, I enjoy the outdoors and having a good time. I love laughing with friends and being out and about. I am so excited to serve as this year’s FFA sentinel. I enjoy the FFA so much and everything that comes with it.
Favorite FFA Event: My favorite event through the FFA is all the CDE events. I love learning the new things that come along with it and the competition themselves. I also love the Food for America event on the farm just as much.
Post-Secondary Goals: I plan to attend UWSP for nursing to get my BSN.
SAE: My SAE was about goats and this year I am going to continue my beef placement SAE and am going to buy a steer and get it ready to show and sell at the Waupaca County fair. I have showed beef cattle 3 years prior and have taken a 2 year break, but it is good to be back.
