October’s Motivated Members of the Month

Kayden Klein is a junior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for five years. Kayden joined FFA because it seemed like fun and he can participate with his friends. His favorite FFA activity is the National Quiz Bowl Contest. Kayden is the Chapter Student Advisor and he enjoys working with the younger FFA members and his teammates with this role. Kayden’s SAE is working at Dairy Queen. He is looking forward to competing in the Fish & Wildlife CDE competition this year. While being in FFA, Kayden has learned about all of the amazing opportunities you can participate in through FFA all year round. An award Kayden is most proud of is winning the National Quiz Bowl Competition in Indianapolis this year.

Rachel Portner is a senior at Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s and has been involved in FFA for four years. Rachel joined FFA because it is a family legacy. Rachel is on the Dairy Evaluation CDE team. She likes the team because it’s fun and she gets to be around cows. Rachel’s SAE involves working on the farm at Port Haven Dairy. Her favorite FFA activity is the Dairy Competitions. Since joining FFA, Rachel has learned better communication skills and to be open to new opportunities. The achievements Rachel is most proud of are earning first place team and individual at the Region VI Dairy Contest in Pipestone.

Mateo Hornsby is a junior at Sleepy Eye Public School and has been in FFA for five years. Mateo joined FFA because there were so many opportunities available to participate in. His favorite FFA activity is the National Quiz Bowl Contest. Mateo’s SAE is working at Dairy Queen. He is looking forward to competing in the Fish & Wildlife CDE competition this year. While being in FFA, Mateo has learned a great deal about FFA history and trivia. An award Mateo is most proud of is being on the 2^nd place team at the National Quiz Bowl Contest.

Wyatt Feucht is a junior at MVL this year and has been in FFA for three years. Wyatt joined FFA to be involved in an activity where he can showcase his knowledge of agriculture. His favorite FFA activity is the Soils Team. Wyatt’s SAE is working on his farm raising crops and livestock. The activity Wyatt is looking forward to most is the State FFA Convention. While being in FFA, Wyatt has learned about all of the opportunities you can participate in through FFA and a lot about judging soil. The achievements Wyatt is most proud of is winning are earning first place team and individual at the Region VI Soils Contest in Sherburn.

The FFA Greenhands presented the emblem and it’s meaning at the Annual Crop Show Greenhand Night. The greenhand presenters included l to r- front: Kenedi Wersal, Millie Lax, Paola Gonzalez, Kamille Capacia, Camryn Maher, Maddy Goldschmidt. Back: Jared Portner, Ava Sellner, Breanna Lopez, Kenley Jensen, Makayla Strong, Isaac Christensen.

The Sleepy Eye Trap Shoot Team Members were presented with their awards on Monday, November 18. Pictured l to r- front: Rylan Trebesch, Jared Trebesch, Aiden Krzmarzick, Kyle Nelson, Graysen Evers, Grayson Hansen, Noah Rossbach. Back: Kayla Hecht, Davin Suess, Trevor Rathman, Gavin Fischer, Caleb Suess, Shea Evers, Logan Ludewig, Jax Como, Carsten Nienhaus, Jaxon Steffl, Jacob Fulmer, Wyatt Feucht.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Crop Show Junior High Top Ten Award Winners include l to r: Karina Martinez, Ethan Feucht, Alannah Urbano, Arianna Moore (Champion), Carson Sellner (Reserve), Grayson Hansen, Nevaeh Moore, Jaxon Steffl. Not pictured: Graysen Evers and Sophia Mendiola.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Crop Show High School Top Ten Award Winners include l to r: Makayla Strong, Cameron Moore, Noah Rossbach, Jasmine Petermann (Champion), Ava Sellner (Reserve), Paola Gonzalez, Carter Lazatin. Not Pictured: Lydia Helget, Izzy Kunkel, Alexis Martinez.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter held its annual Crops Show/Trap Shoot Awards/Greenhand Night/Parents Night Program on Monday, November 18^th at the Sleepy Eye Public High School. It was a chance for us to highlight the fall events, the greenhands, and announce the winners of the 2024 FFA Crops Show and Sleepy Eye Trap Team.

222 FFA members, including 81 Junior High and 141 High School students, exhibited a total of 806 samples of corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, miscellaneous, and forage crop samples at the 2024 Sleepy Eye FFA Crop Show.

The purpose of the crop show is to exhibit a sample of a crop that will be judged on appearance: uniform color and size as well as having no defects or unwanted debris. Making a crop sample for the show involves a lot of patience and attention to detail. The longer amount of time you spend preparing a crop sample, the more success you will have in the end. After the crop show, the crops are stored until the county and state fairs the following summer.

The 2024 FFA Crop Show was a huge success, and would not have been possible without the involvement of the community!  Thank you to everyone who contributed including donating and judging the crops.

The results are as follows- CHAMPION SAMPLES

Jr. High Champions:

Soybeans Champion: Isabella Campos

Oats Champion: Sophia Mendiola

Wheat Champion: Arianna Moore

Combined 7th – 12th Grade Champions:

Shelled Corn Champion: Noah Rossbach

Miscellaneous Champion: Jasmine Petermann

Ear Corn Champion: Makayla Strong

Silage Champion: Noah Rossbach

Hay Champion: Ruby Tauer                                      

Combined 7-12^th Grade Organic Champions:

Organic Crops Champion: Ava Sellner

Organic Oats Champion: Sophia Mendiola

Organic Ear Corn Champion: Jasmine Petermann

 Sr. High Champions:

Wheat Champion: Arianna Ochoa-Lopez

Oats Champion: Alexis Martinez

Soybeans Champion: Ava Sellner

Next are the results of the overall placings for the 2024 Crop Show.

TOP TEN SR. HIGH

Champion- Jasmine Petermann

Reserve Champion- Ava Sellner

3rd place- Noah Rossbach

4th place- Cameron Moore

5th place- Izzy Kunkel

6th place- Alexis Martinez

7th place- Carter Lazatin

8th place- Makayla Strong

9th place- Paola Gonzalez

10th place- Lydia Helget

TOP TEN JR. HIGH

Champion- Arianna Moore

Reserve Champion- Carson Sellner

3rd place- Alannah Urbano

4th place- Nevaeh Moore

5th place- Sophia Mendiola

6th place- Karina Martinez

7th place- Graysen Evers

8th place- Jaxon Steffl

9th place- Ethan Feucht

10th place- Grayson Hansen

Congratulations to all 222 FFA Crop Show exhibitors and good luck at the County and State Fairs!

FFA Trap Shoot Awards:

Our first trap award is called the Steady Shot Award! These individuals had great scores every shoot to help the team succeed.

The recipients of the Steady Shot Award were Kaden Braun, Oliver Trebesch, Logan Ludewig, Noah Rossbach, Caleb Suess, Kayla Hecht, and Jared Trebesch.

The Top Shooters Awards are for those Sleepy Eye members that had the highest score at each shoot. The recipients of the Top Shooter Award for the 4 shoots were:

• Springfield Shoot – Gavin Fischer
• Mt. Lake Shoot – Wyatt Feucht
• Sleepy Eye Shoot – Trevor Rathman
• Windom Shoot – Gavin Fischer

Our Overall Trap Awards:

The Top New Shooters are:

• Kyle Nelson, Grayson Hansen, Briella Walser

The Most Improved Shooters are:

• Jaxon Steffl, Graysen Evers, and Jax Como

Congrats to all 23 of our Trap Team members for a great season.

Greenhand Member Presentation and Recognition:

All of the Greenhand members were recognized while nine Greenhands presented the FFA emblem and its meaning.

The 2024 Greenhands include: Kamille Capacia, Jaiden Chavez, Isaac Christensen, Mia Davila, Hayden Domeier, Heath Eckstein, Callie Evers, Yessenia Fernandez, Maddelyn Goldschmidt, Paola Gonzalez, Karter Haala, Nickolas Hale, Lilah Hein, Delaney Hernandez, Rylee Hertling, Ethan Hinderman, Jon Hulsey, Kenley Jensen, Liana Kimbrough, Ava Kunkel, Millie Lax, Richard Livingston, Breanna Lopez, Connor Mack, Cesar Martinez, Madelyn Martinez, Jaslyn Meyer, JP Montemayor, Braylon Nelson, Keeyan Netzke, Chloe Okerman, Caleb Oscarson, Michael Pool, Mason Poole, Jared Portner, Candy Regules Castorena, Aaron Riederer, Alyza Rivera, Luis Rodriguez, Colton Romberg, Ellie Rosales, Ava Sellner, Makayla Strong, Davin Suess, Dominick Swinford, Aranza Tovar Garces, Riley Voigt, Karly Wendinger, Kenedi Wersal, Brianna Ziegenhagen.

It was a great evening to celebrate so many successes of our members already this fall for 2024!

Five Sleepy Eye FFA members competed in the Region VI Leadership Development Competition in Heron Lake on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Pictured l to r – Anna Johnson, Alex Confer, Lily Kallevig, Taylor Berkner, and Camryn Maher.

On Tuesday, November 12^th, the regional competition was held in Heron Lake for all Leadership Development Events (LDE’s).

Camryn Maher competed in the FFA Creed Competition. She placed 1^st out of twelve contestants and advanced to State Competition.  In this contest, members are judged for their ability to present the five paragraphs of the National FFA Creed from memory and answer questions related to it.

Taylor Berkner earned 1^st place in the Employment Skills competition out of eight contestants and advanced to State Competition. This LDE simulates real-world activities used by employers and tests students’ ability to perform effectively throughout the employment process. Students submit a cover letter and resume; complete an application; and participate in face–to–face interviews. They complete the process by writing a follow up thank you letter.

Lily Kallevig competed in the Prepared Public Speaking Competition and placed 2^nd out of five participants, advancing to State in December. Student contestants write and deliver a six to eight minute speech related to agriculture. Speakers are judged on content and composition, delivery of the speech, and their ability to answer questions from the judges.

Alex Confer and Anna Johnson were contestants in the Farm Bureau Discussion Meet Competition.  The Discussion Meet is an activity designed to build basic discussion skills while developing an understanding of important agricultural issues and exploring how groups can pool knowledge to reach a consensus and solve problems. The four fundamental bases of general discussion are: constructive criticism, cooperation, communication, and problem solving.

Good luck to Camryn, Taylor, and Lily as they will compete at the State LDE Competition in December at St. Cloud.

The Sleepy Eye Ag. Students/FFA Members made these 2 x 4 wood pumpkins with the help of a National FFA Living to Serve Mini Grant. Pictured l to r, front – Zack Dominguez, Hayden Domeier, Carter Lazatin, Izzy Kunkel, Noemi Rodriguez, Kaytlyn Romberg, Dillon Gerzsik. Back – James Moore, Cameron Moore, Aiden Krzmarick, Mateo Moreno, Keeyan Netzke, Nico Nosbush, Jason Piotter, Manny Poplow, Brandon Flores.

These Sleepy Eye FFA Members, Chapter Officers, and Junior Officers made fall quote posters for the residents at Divine, the Sleepy Eye Rehabilitation Center and Assisted Living. Pictured l to r, front – Anna Johnson, Lucia Martinez Paredes, Alex Confer, Lily Kallevig, Kamille Capacia, Paola Gonzalez, Gus Hoffmann, Carsten Nienhaus, Sophia Mendiola, Natalie Rolling, Isabella Robb, Nevaeh Moore, Arianna Moore, Sophia Chavez, Jace Schauman, Jaelynn Schauman. Back – Daniel Armstrong, Charlie Hoffmann, Kayden Klein, Jacey Mills, Abriana Martinez, Natalie Fulmer, Karina Martinez, Ella Arkins, Arianna Hernandez, Lilyanna Uys, Isabella Campos, Serenity Avalos Gregg, Kylie Fischer, Taylor Berkner, Eric Lozano.

The Sleepy Eye FFA applied for and received a National FFA Living to Serve Mini Grant to do a service project to lift the spirits of senior residents in our community at the local nursing homes/assisted living/rehab facilities this fall. Members made 120 uplifting fall quote posters using colorful stickers as well as 27 2 x 4 wood pumpkins. We will reach over 130 senior residents and involved 85 members with this project.

The members and officers have painted pumpkins for the residents in the past, but we were looking for projects that would not only involve our members, but be something that would physically last longer than real pumpkins. We came up with the fall posters and 2 x 4 pumpkins ideas for the residents.

With the money from the National FFA Organization, we were able to purchase the poster supplies as well as the 2 x 4’s, paint, and decorations for the wood pumpkins. This was a great project for our members to participate in and we hope that it fulfilled our mission of uplifting the spirits of the elderly in our community!

St. Mary’s Students of the Day for the month of October. These students demonstrated the virtue of “reverence” or showing your deepest respect for things of God. Pictured (back row): Cameron Domeier (2nd grade), Charles Currans (4th grade), AlleeJane Hoffmann (4th grade), Anthony Braulick (5th grade), Elizabeth Fischer (3rd grade), Nora Braulick (2nd grade) and Evelyn Maurer (3rd grade). Front row: Sophia Halibur (kindergarten), Calvin Mathiowetz (kindergarten), Janie Pelzel (2nd grade), Emmaline Braulick (4th grade), Samuel Schultz (3rd grade), Xavier McKeown (1st grade) and Quinn Walter (1st grade).

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter members attended the 97th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Pictured L to r – front: Katie Emmett (advisor), Aranza Tovar Garces, Madi Martinez, Kamille Capacia. Middle: Carter Lazatin, Alex Confer, Anna Johnson, Paola Gonzalez, Candy Castorena, Noah Rossbach. Back: James Moore, Dawson Friton, Kayden Klein, Mateo Hornsby, Daniel Armstrong, Mary Hoffmann (advisor).

The Sleepy Eye FFA Poultry Team received 19th place in the nation out of 42 teams. Pictured l to r – Emerson Johnson, Logan Ludewig, Ari Krzmarzick, and Zack Dominguez. There were 168 individuals in the Poultry Contest.

Lucia Martinez Paredes participated in the National FFA Choir, including being a soloist. She was selected from an audition tape and sang with others from across the country at the convention sessions.

Kayden Klein was the first place Overall Individual in the National Quiz Bowl Contest (Senior Division) out of 212 individuals.

The 97th National FFA Convention took place from October 22-26, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. In attendance were over 70,000 FFA members and guests from around the country, along with some of our own dedicated members. The city was encompassed with the colors of blue and gold as FFA members spread the message of agriculture. Members learned how to be successful in life and met many new members from across our nation.

Nineteen Sleepy Eye FFA members attended the National Convention including: Daniel Armstrong, Kamille Capacia, Candy Castorena, Alex Confer, Zack Dominguez, Dawson Friton, Paola Gonzalez, Mateo Hornsby, Anna Johnson, Emerson Johnson, Kayden Klein, Ari Krzmarzick, Carter Lazatin, Logan Ludewig, Lucia Martinez Paredes, Madi Martinez, James Moore, Noah Rossbach, Aranza Tovar Garces. Katie Emmett and Ms. Mary Hoffmann were the chaperones for the trip.

Students were exposed to an agricultural based career expo, heard dynamic speakers, and were inspired by energetic and motivating general sessions at the largest annual student convention in the country.

During Convention, the Sleepy Eye FFA was named a THREE Star National Chapter for growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture activities that the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter highlighted in their National Chapter Award application. Three stars is the highest ranking out of 1, 2, or 3 stars being awarded by National FFA. Officers Anna Johnson and Carter Lazatin accepted this award on behalf of our chapter.

The Sleepy Eye Poultry Team competed at the National Convention earning 19^th place in the nation. Team members consisted of Zack Dominguez, Emerson Johnson, Ari Krzmarzick, and Logan Ludewig. The team earned this trip by placing first in the state of Minnesota in April. All members of the team received a silver ranking with Zack Dominguez being the highest scorer on the team. There were 42 teams competing in the Poultry Contest. The National CDE included many different aspects dealing with chicken and turkey parts, judging, processed products, egg evaluation, oral reasons, and a team activity.

Fourteen Sleepy Eye FFA members competed in the National Quiz Bowl Contest during National Convention week. The Quiz Bowl Contest consists of taking a 100 question knowledge test on the history and current facts of FFA.

The National Sr. Quiz Bowl team #1 consisted of Kayden Klein, Mateo Hornsby, Carter Lazatin, and Noah Rossbach. The team placed 2^nd in the nation out of 59 teams. The top scorer on the Sr. Team #1 was Kayden Klein who was the Overall Winner of the Quiz Bowl Contest out of 212 individuals!

The National Sr. Quiz Bowl team #2 consisting Daniel Armstrong, Alex Confer, Anna Johnson, and James Moore earned 12^th place team. Anna Johnson was the high scorer on Team #2 earning 7^th place overall out of 212 individuals.

The National Jr. Quiz Bowl team consisting of Madi Martinez, Kamille Capacia, Paola Gonzalez, and Candy Castorena placed 8^th out of 28 teams. Madi Martinez was the top scorer on the Jr. team.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter had six American FFA Degree Recipients including: Sophie Gustafson, Morgan Hoffmann, Adam Johnson, Sophie Kyllonen, Leisha Martinez, and Gracie Sellner. This is the highest award bestowed upon a FFA member. Only 2% of all FFA members receive this prestigious award.

Lucia Martinez participated in the National FFA Chorus while attending the convention. She auditioned this summer and was chosen by National FFA. She arrived on Saturday before convention to start practicing with the members from around the country. Lucia was able to perform with the choir at Convention Sessions and do a solo part as well.

Along with the FFA Convention, members were given the opportunity to attend several tours in Indiana. The tours include: Broken Wagon Bison, Fair Oaks Farms (Dairy and Swine), Louisville Slugger, and Churchill Downs. The convention also featured a rodeo and hypnotist. Our members were able to get great hands-on learning experiences and opportunities while making lots of memories.

While at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, most of the Sleepy Eye FFA members took time to work behind the scenes at the KNUJ Media Booth. They assisted Jim Bartels and Larry Baumgardt in interviewing different FFA Chapters around the state of Minnesota about their convention experiences and FFA activities. Advisor, Mary Hoffmann, conducted some interviews while at the convention as well. Our members also interviewed on the radio about their own experiences and activities they are participating in for FFA.

We want to thank our Sleepy Eye Ag. Boosters, local businesses, and the Sleepy Eye School district for supporting our FFA chapter and providing the chance for our members to attend convention. Without your support, our members would not have opportunities like these.