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Big success for Big Foot FFA

I’d like to thank Big Foot FFA reporter KayLoni Mathews, who took the time to send me an update about the club’s success at the annual FFA convention and at the Wisconsin State Fair.

I always welcome news from 4-H clubs and FFA organizations. I would be happy to post information on my blog and get something in the paper when appropriate.

Here’s the news from Big Foot:

The Big Foot FFA went to the 80th Annual Wisconsin FFA Convention at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison, in June.

More than 3,000 Wisconsin FFA members and advisors representing 250 schools along with parents, alumni, sponsors, and guests gathered for this great event.

Winners and finalists from Big Foot included:

--Theo Peterson was named the Agricultural Mechanics/Energy Systems Proficiency Award Winner.

--Alicia Hodnik was named Agriscience Student. The award recognizes students who have excelled in an agriscience project or activity.

--Emilie Cerny was one of the many Washington Leadership Conference Scholarship national recipients. The students were selected based on their leadership abilities and FFA activities. Participants learn and experience the true meaning of leadership, make new friends and gain a better understanding of the FFA and our country.

--Alicia Hodnik received the Three Star Leader Award. The award recognizes a selected FFA member from a local chapter for being actively involved in chapter activities in student development, chapter development, and community development.

--The Big Foot FFA Chapter is one of many that won the P.R.I.D.E. Award. P.R.I.D.E. stands for Promote, Recruit, Inspire, Develop, and Educate. The award was designed to increase chapter membership participation by encouraging chapters to continually recruit and retain members in hopes that every chapter would increase by 10 members each year.

--Melissa Carstensen, Ryan Earnest, Holly Feltham, Ethan Hill, Alicia Hodnik and Adrianna Vanderstappen were six of 444 Wisconsin FFA members that received the State Degree.

In the Agriscience Fair:

--Alicia Hodnik got a gold in biochemistry/microbiology/food science and will be competing at the National FFA Convention.

--Emilie Cerny got a silver in environmental sciences.

--Adrianna Vanderstappen got a gold in zoology and will be competing at the National FFA Convention.

Susan Pruessing, president of their board, was one of sixteen adults that received the Honorary State FFA Degree. The Honorary Degree is the highest degree that the FFA Association can bestow on a non-member.

Alicia Hodnik of the Big Foot FFA Chapter was a finalist for the Star in Agriscience Award. In second place in the Cooperative Leadership Award, Big Foot FFA instructors Lisa Konkel and Rick Henningfeld were two of six instructors that were recognized for being outstanding teachers relating agriculture with cooperative business.

--The Big Foot FFA Chapter placed fourth in Food for America, where FFA members educate elementary school students about Wisconsin agriculture.

--The Big Foot FFA had finalists in Vegetable Production-Proficiency, Swine Production-Placement, Swine Production-Entrepreneurship, Small Animal Care and Management-Proficiency, Rick Henningfeld in State Agriscience Teacher, Agricultural Sales-Placement, Agricultural Sales-Entrepreneurship, and Agricultural Education.

--Alicia Hodnik was chosen as the state FFA secretary.

At the Wisconsin State Fair:

The Big Foot FFA Chapter went to the state fair in Milwaukee to work at the Discovery Barnyard. There they bonded with the state officers and some of the other workers. The Big Foot FFA worked in shifts of four or five hours at a time. They answered people’s questions about the many animals that were there. Morning chores started at about 7. The barn would open at 9. The barn closed at 9 p.m., and then the night chores would begin. Chores would get done at about 10:45 p.m., and members would return to their dorms no later than 11 p.m. The helped from Saturday, August 8, until Tuesday, August 11.