Jony Flores, Sleepy Eye Member, is showing kids at Farmfest how dangerous machines can be with this Pinch Point demonstration with a carrot representing a person’s finger.

This is one of the four groups of Sleepy Eye FFA members that helped out at Farmfest during the week. Pictured l to r – front: Kyle Capacia, Daniel Armstrong, Mateo Hornsby, Kaytlyn Romberg, Emma Fischer. Back: Jacob Mellen, Leisha Martinez, Marcus Martinez, Robert Romberg, Adam Johnson, Jake Price.

By: Kyle Capacia, Chapter Reporter

From August 2nd through August 4th, FFA members from Sleepy Eye traveled to Farmfest to teach youth and families about various farm safety topics. Set up for the event was August 1st which included putting up the tent and setting up the nine safety stations.

The following 27 members helped with setting up and conducting activities for the week: Daniel Armstrong, Brooke Arneson, Kyle Capacia, Riley Eckstein-Sprenger, Emma Fischer, Jony Flores, Mateo Hornsby, Chloe Howe, Adam Johnson, Anna Johnson, Alex Joramo, Izzy Kunkel, Leisha Martinez, Lucia Martinez, Marcus Martinez, Jacob Mellen, Envy Morales, Jake Price, Daniel Rendon, Kaytlyn Romberg, Robert Romberg, Antonio Ruiz, Ethan Schwartz, Gracie Sellner, Conor Strong, Katelyn Tauer, and Ellen Windschitl.

FFA advisors, Mary Hoffmann, Katie Emmett, and Paul Hendrickx also attended the event. Throughout the three days that FFA members were present at Farmfest, they were able to educate over 500 youth and their families.

The Sleepy Eye FFA worked with the RedBrownVille Farm Safety for Just Kids chapter which includes members from three counties and sponsorship from AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Farmward/Ag. Quest, Land ‘O Lakes, Redwood Area Chamber Ag. Committee, and Bayer.

The name Farm Safety for Just Kids is a collaboration of Redwood, Brown, and Renville counties who have worked together since 2006 to help inform and prevent injuries and accidents on the farm and around machinery, making the farm a safer place by showing kids the danger of certain situations.

The youth who attended had the opportunity to play nine safety games/demonstrations including Pinch Points (Chains and Belts), Tractor Safety, Auger Safety, Wheel of Misfortune, Plinko (Farm Safety Trivia), Bridged Grain, Gravity Wagon Safety, Chemical Safety, and Tug of War with Grain.

Each kid was given a card that was then marked off at every station. When they had finished going to each station, they were given prizes. The prizes included: water bottles, cinch bags, coloring books, pencils, flashlights, and more.

Sleepy Eye FFA worked alongside the Wabasso, Redwood Valley, and Tracy FFA Chapters. All of the members who volunteered their time at the safety carnival successfully helped inform youth while also making it a fun experience for those who attended.

If you would like to be a part of Farm Safety Just for Kids feel free to contact Mary Hoffmann, FFA advisor at Sleepy Eye Public School.

Seven Sleepy Eye FFA Members attended the first ever CRC Discovery Day. They included: l to r – Ethan Schwartz, Emma Fischer, Izzy Kunkel, Kaytlyn Romberg, Lucia Martinez, Chloe Howe, and Noemi Rodriguez.

By: Chloe Howe, Chapter Reporter

On Thursday, July 28, Sleepy Eye FFA Members attended the first ever Discovery Day at Central Region Cooperative. The members included: Emma Fischer, Kaytlyn Romberg, Ethan Schwartz, Lucia Martinez, Chloe Howe, Izzy Kunkel, and Noemi Rodriguez. Advisors Mary Hoffmann, Katie Emmett, and Paul Hendrickx were in attendance as well.

The day started at the main office of CRC with Nate, CEO of CRC, giving background information on cooperatives and how they operate as well as his career path.

Next, Sue talked to students about career opportunities within the accounting field as well as an explanation of the different divisions and how they each have their own accounting departments.

Then it was onto the grain division. Carly and Jay showed us the unloading zone, grain bins, and dryer. They gave an overview of the large scale operations of the grain division and how they ship it trucks and the rail.

The morning continued with the feed division as Brad and Sonya shared information on the roles of the employees in this area, how the mill works, who the customers are, the ingredients in the different feeds, and the automation of the mill.

After seeing all of the divisions near the main office building, we traveled to the CRC site east of Sleepy Eye to the Agronomy division. We heard from Mike in Sales and learned about the customers, acres, territories, and educational paths to sales. We also heard from Jordan in Operations and the guys in the Energy Division. They shared information on the numbers and types of equipment, types of trucks, capacity of the trucks, truck routes, and the different products and where they come from as well as the rail system.

Next, we heard from Brian and Jordan about the Shop.  The building was incredible and had numerous overhead doors to accommodate all of the different trucks and equipment. There is such a variety of work due to all of the different machines and maintenance on the equipment.

Last, we entered the BCA facility where Al taught us about the many different lawn fertilizers and ice melt products manufactured there. He discussed how they get the bags and ingredients and we saw the cool bagging automation with our own eyes. From the machine that weighs out ingredients and fills the bags to the robots that stack the bags on pallets and wrap the pallets, it was really fascinating to see.

We are very thankful to have had so many of the CRC employees in the different divisions talk to us about what they do in the cooperative and the educational paths available for the various careers there.

This group of FFA members and teachers helped to inventory all of the school supplies for the United Way Backpack Project. Pictured l to r – Chloe Howe, Noemi Rodriguez, Nichole Krenz, Ellen Windschitl, Gracie Sellner, and Leisha Martinez. Not pictured: Izzy Kunkel.

By: Kyle Capacia, FFA Reporter

Each year, approximately 400 backpacks are filled with grade and school district appropriate school supplies and given to qualifying children throughout Brown County through the United Way Backpack Project.

Children in grades K-8 in Brown County who qualify for the free lunch program can participate in this program. United Way has teamed up with local school districts, the Salvation Army, BIC Graphic, Bank Midwest and many area businesses to make this opportunity available to families in the Brown County area.

The thousands of school supplies that have been donated need to be sorted and inventoried to figure out which supplies still need to be purchased. The Sleepy Eye FFA had 10 volunteers come together to help sort the supplies at the New Ulm Library. The volunteers included: FFA members, our FFA advisors, and DCD Special Education Teacher Nichole Krenz. Later, after all of the supplies had been gathered, volunteers will help to pack the 400 backpacks for the students in need.

Thank you to the local businesses who helped collect donations in our communities this July for the project. Our FFA members are able to utilize United Way funds to help cover costs for FFA events throughout the year and we were happy to give back by helping out with this project!

Grecia Navarro (left) and Cristal Schmidtknecht (right) made these bud vase arrangements in the Floriculture Class.

The students had a lot of fun in Baking Class. Pictured l to r – Jaelynn Schauman, Taylor Berkner, and Sam Price made cookies along with chocolate cake mug desserts.

Ari Krizmarzick attended the Nail String Art class and made this Minnesota creation.

By Chloe Howe, Chapter Reporter

The Sleepy Eye Summer Agricultural Education program has been busy over the months of June and July. Along with leadership and tour opportunities, short hands-on classes have been taking place at Sleepy Eye Public School.

Beginning on June 23^rd and 24^th, the first of the Summer Ag. Classes began including Nail Art and Floriculture. Members learned and made their own projects including nail string art creations and various floral arrangements.

In July, the courses included Cooking and Baking Classes. Through these courses, students learned a variety of cooking and baking techniques and made dishes from crepes to cookies, breakfast and desserts.

Total student enrollment for all of the classes was over 55 in attendance.

The FFA members are continuing their involvement this summer with booths at Party in the Park, Farm Fest, and Summerfest, as well as county fair and more leadership opportunities.

Mary Hoffmann, Sleepy Eye Ag. Teacher, was awarded the Region III ACTE Teacher of the Year Award in Des Moines, IA. 

Mary Hoffmann, Sleepy Eye Ag. Teacher, was named ACTE Region III Teacher of the Year this summer. She received this award at the Region III ACTE Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. ACTE is the Association of Career and Technical Education. ACTE is the largest national education association of thriving professionals dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. Our members represent all facets of career and technical education (CTE).

The ACTE Organization represents teachers in the areas of Agriculture, Business, Counseling & Career Development, Engineering & Technical Education, Family & Consumer Science, Health Science, Trade & Industrial Education, and Postsecondary, Adult & Career Education. Region III includes the following states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

Hoffmann was selected as the Region III Teacher of the Year winner for her work in Agricultural Education, with the Sleepy Eye FFA, and as a leader in her school, state, and nation. Mary’s personal teaching philosophy is to provide students with base agriculture knowledge as well as skills for the future.

She has many goals for the program based on this. Helping students to realize the importance of agriculture in their daily lives is the first goal, followed by providing FFA opportunities, helping students become better people and to teach with heart and passion.

Mary Hoffmann states, “You never know what some of the students’ lives are like at home, but at school it can be really great in your classroom if you are the role model and caring person that the student needs.”

In the state of Minnesota, Hoffmann is on the State Teach Ag. Results and Minnesota State Fair Committee, member of the FFA Adult Board, serves as a mentor for various programs, and is the Minnesota Association of Ag. Educators grant writer. Over the years, Hoffmann has secured funding for state-wide professional development opportunities for Agriculture teachers. The grants have included: Basic Woodworking, Food Science and Chemistry, Small Engines, Electricity, Floral Design, Record Keeping, Landscaping, Construction, and Welding for a total of over $150,000.

At the National level, Hoffmann serves on the National Council for Agricultural Education as the president-elect. The National Council for Agricultural Education (The Council) strives to stimulate positive growth in agricultural education. The Council provides leadership for stakeholders in agriculture, food, fiber and natural resources systems education. It strives to surface issues important to agricultural education and stimulate actions to support those issues. The Council serves as a common meeting ground for agricultural education and represents organizations and entities representing students, teachers, teacher educators, state leaders, alumni, industry, and government.

Hoffmann is honored to receive this award and excited for the next steps which include an interview and selection of the top Teacher of the Year in the nation at the ACTE Awards Gala in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 3, 2022.

By: Chapter Reporter, Kyle Capacia

Member of the Month

Jose Castorena is in 9th grade and has been in FFA for 1 year. He joined FFA because he wanted to try something different. Jose is on the Best Informed Greenhand (BIG) Career Development Event (CDE) team. He enjoys his CDE because he gets to learn about the history of FFA and meet famous people. Jose is most looking forward to new opportunities in the FFA and summer activities. From being in FFA, he has learned a lot about the history of FFA. He also learned more about woodworking and fixing holes in walls in Ag classes. Jose is most proud of earning his Greenhand FFA degree.

Member of the Month 

Noah Rossbach is in 8th grade and has been in FFA for 2 years. He joined FFA because his brother and sister were in FFA.  Noah is on the Poultry CDE team. He likes his CDE because he gets to grade chicken and eggs. For Noah’s SAE, he works at Roseview Dairy milking cows and feeding calves. His favorite FFA activity is doing CDE competitions for poultry. Noah is most looking forward to the lock-ins, being part of the BIG team and summer activities. From being in Ag class, Noah has learned how to use tools safely, about different plants and all about different animals. The award that he is most proud of is placing first as a team for Poultry at State and being a 7 Star Leader.

Member of the Month 

Rachel Portner is in 9th grade and has been in FFA for 3 years. She joined FFA because of the opportunities it had to offer and the fun activities. Rachel is on the Dairy Judging CDE team. She likes being on the Dairy team because she gets to be around cows, and gets to learn more about the dairy cows. Rachel’s favorite FFA activity was going to Little I at SDSU. She is looking forward to showing cows at the fair. From being in an Ag. class, Rachel has learned about different animals that can be on farms including exotics. She has also gained skills in communicating, building new relationships, and to be okay with stepping out of her comfort zone. She is most proud of placing 1st as a team at the Region VI Dairy Evaluation Contest and placing 13th individually at State.

Member of the Month 

Lee Wahlborg is in 12th grade and has been in FFA for 3 years. He decided to join FFA to attend cool events and to make new friends. Lee is on the Market Plan CDE team. His favorite part was being part of a team and making it to State. Lee’s favorite FFA activity was going to Nationals and region volleyball night. Lee is looking forward to graduating this year. Lee has learned to be more outgoing by taking on new challenges and how to work as part of a team. Lee is most proud of finishing 5th place at State for Market Plan as well as his Greenhand and Chapter degrees.

The Sleepy Eye FFA members met with their Wee Deliver Buddies from St. Mary’s and Sleepy Eye Public. Members and third graders had milk and cookies while discussing their favorite things.

By: Chloe Howe, Chapter Reporter

The end of the year is a time to wrap up the Wee Deliver PALS Program for FFA members.  We had get-together events for both schools with their third grade buddies.

The Wee Deliver Program ended with a “My Favorites” activity and milk and cookies with their buddies. WEE DELIVER BUDDIES: When Everyone is Excited about Doing Excellent work Learning Is Very Enjoyable and Rewarding. By Understanding that Doing things in Duos Is Encouraging, we attain Success!

This program involved 54 FFA members writing letters to third-grade students at the Sleepy Eye Schools. The FFA truly appreciates the cooperation from all of the third-grade teachers: Mrs. Sittig and Mrs. Jensen from Sleepy Eye Public, and Mrs. Mathiowetz from St. Mary’s.

The purpose of the program is to connect high school students with elementary students by writing letters back and forth over the year in order to get to know each other better, as well as to practice writing skills for the students.

Through the Wee Deliver Program, FFA members have the opportunity to serve as role models for the elementary students while also creating friendships.

The Sleepy Eye YES! team accepted their state championship award at Target Field.

The 2022 State Champion, receiving a $500 award, is the Sleepy Eye YES! Team. YES! is
a statewide organization that challenges youth to engage in hands-on projects that benefit the environment and their communities.

The Sleepy Eye YES! Tteam is comprised of students from Sleepy Eye Public and St. Mary’s schools, with science teachers Deb Reinarts and Mary Beth Botz as advisors.

This year, the students invested hundreds of hours to complete projects which included expanding pollinator habitat in Sleepy Eye,
monitoring water quality, recycling drives, providing education programs in their schools and community, and more.

The Retiring Officer Team for 2021-22 included: L to r – front: Brooke Arneson (Reporter), Alex Joramo (Treasurer), Winsten Nienhaus (Officer at Large), Isaac Lendt (Sentinel), Adam Johnson (2nd Vice President). Back: Miah Brown (Historian), Presley Braun (Student Advisor), Leisha Martinez (Reporter), Carmen Lendt (Secretary), Morgan Hoffmann (President), Gracie Sellner (Student Advisor), Maddi Helget (1st Vice President), Katelyn Capacia (Historian). SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter held the Awards Program on Sunday, May 1^st, 2022. It was a great opportunity to honor the members and chapter leaders as well as the major supporters for the chapter throughout the year.

 Successes this year for the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter include: 82 Discovery Degrees (7^th & 8^th graders), 48 Greenhand Degrees, 42 Chapter Degrees and 10 State Degrees. Many awards were presented to the active members and leaders of the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter.

This year our FFA Chapter has continued with our Service Theme and conducted several different programs and activities.  They include the following: Adopt-a-Senior Program – members participated in making cards for 140 Nursing Home and Countryside Living Residents each month. Wee Deliver Program –members participated in writing letters to 65 third grade students (Pen Pals) each month. Service –members helped with the Backpack Supplies project with United Way, the Backpack Food Project with Trinity, making extra-large Valentines and Spring cards for residents, putting up lights at the park, painting pumpkins, and    tying blankets.

The Sleepy Eye FFA members who participated in at least three of these programs were named 3- 5 Star Members. If members participated in at least 6 of the programs they were named a Star Leader. 38 FFA members were presented with certificates for being a 3-5 Star Member and 28 members were presented with trophies for being a 6-12 Star Leader.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter presented three Diamond Awards to supporters of the Chapter and its members. The Diamond Award went to Sleepy Eye Sportsman’s Club, Miller Sellner Implement, and Schwartz Farms.

This year there were six Platinum, TOP LEVEL Sponsors – Edward Jones- Bill & Julie Ries, Cunningham Seed Farms, Central Region Cooperative, Co-Bank, Sleepy Eye Servicemen’s Club, and Mary Ann Christensen.

These businesses and individuals supported FFA members by providing new FFA Jackets, sponsored Chapter and Crop Show Awards, Ag. Program needs, Conventions, Service Projects, and much more.

Each year, top scholar awards are presented to one active FFA member in each grade who has the highest GPA in their respective class. These members received a plaque and a scholarship pin: Nora Coulson & Landon Wendinger (freshmen), Isaac Lendt (sophomore), Brooke Arneson (junior), Morgan Hoffmann (senior).

The Honorary Chapter Degree award is presented to an individual who supports the Sleepy Eye FFA in exceptional ways throughout the year. This year’s Honorary Chapter Degree was presented to an individual who is a huge supporter of our chapter and school – Mary Ann Christensen. She is truly inspiring!

There were two community members who were presented with an Appreciation Award for 2022. The first recipient of the FFA Appreciation Award was Doug Miller of Miller Sellner Implement. We truly appreciate his support for the Sleepy Eye Ag. Program as well as his willingness to help with the fruit sale each year.

The 2^nd recipient of the FFA Appreciation Award was for another great supporter of our chapter. We awarded this award to Schwartz Farms, Inc. This company has been a supporter for many years donating to our program as well as providing tours and learning opportunities in and out of the classroom as well as donating piglets to our Animal Carnival.

The fruit sale was a successful fundraiser for our FFA Chapter this year.  A great deal of thanks goes to our 4 top sellers who sold $5000 of products for the fruit sales. The Top Junior High Fruit Seller was Trevor Rathman  with over $1000 of products sold. The 2^nd Place Junior High Top Seller was Rheanna Stone with over $600 in sales. Our Top High School Fruit Seller was Morgan Hoffmann with over $2100 of products sold. The 2^nd Place High School Top Seller was Jacob Mellen with over $1300 in Sales.

The leadership awards are presented to FFA members from each class who displayed tremendous amounts of leadership skills throughout the year and who participated in numerous FFA events. The freshman winners were Chloe Howe and Izzy Kunkel.  Sophomore recipients included: Isaac Lendt and Marcus Martinez.  Junior winners were Leisha Martinez, Brooke Arneson, and Jake Price.  Senior winners included: Maddison Helget, Katelyn Capacia, and Presley Braun.

The Phoenix Awards are presented each year for Students who are upcoming leaders. These 4 individuals got involved, got others involved, and showed true enthusiasm for the FFA. This year’s Phoenix Award Winners were Lily Kallevig, Kyle Capacia, Nathan Rathman, and Noemi Rodriguez.

The Star Greenhand Award goes to the most outstanding Freshmen Greenhand degree participant for the year. This award is presented to a first year high school member who is active in the chapter, and who has demonstrated leadership and scholarship.  This year’s Star Greenhand was NORA COULSON.

The Sophomore Achievement Award states, “Overall Success is Achieved through Hard Work and Dedication.” The Sophomore Achievement Award Winner for 2022 was WINSTEN NIENHAUS.

ADAM JOHNSON received the Outstanding Junior Award, called the Blue and Gold Award. This award acknowledges someone for overall achievement in the FFA.

The Star in Ag. Placement Award is presented to a member who has an outstanding production placement SAE program and who is involved in all areas of the chapter’s activities.  A placement SAE program means that you have a project where you work for someone in agriculture. This year’s winner of Chapter Star in Ag. Placement , Region VI Star, and State Star Finalist was SOPHIE KYLLONEN.

This year’s recipient of the Dekalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award was MORGAN HOFFMANN. This award is presented to the most outstanding senior in the areas of scholarship, leadership, and supervised agricultural experience.

The 2021-22 Retiring FFA Officer Team was recognized for their exceptional efforts in leading the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter for the year. The night ended with the installation with the 2022-23 FFA Officer Team.

Mrs. Hoffmann commented on the year, “I am so proud of all of the hard work and dedication the members show on a daily basis – through their efforts with CDE’s, their SAE’s, Ag. Classes, and Community Services projects. What a great year this has been and now, to bring everything to a close with a great State FFA Convention with 59 Sleepy Eye members attending.”

Hoffmann added, “Having Jake Price, Morgan Hoffmann, and Adam Johnson be State Proficiency Winners, having the Poultry Team earn first place and a trip to nationals, being a National Chapter Model of Innovation Finalist, being the first place chapter in the state for the Ag. Literacy Challenge and 4^th in the state for the Land of Service Award, and last but not least, earning Runner Up Premier Chapter in the state for the National Chapter Award. These are all fantastic accomplishments! The Sleepy Eye FFA is about students developing leadership skills, experiencing personal growth, and serving the Sleepy Eye Community and I am extremely honored to work with them each day.”

The 2021-22 FFA Chapter Leader Trophy Recipients included, from left to right – Front: Adam Johnson, Mateo Hornsby, Noah Rossbach, Kyle Capacia, Lucia Martinez, Isaac Lendt, Same Price, Alex Confer. Middle: Presley Braun, Hailey Meinert, Brooke Arneson, Katelyn Capacia, Gracie Sellner, Maddi Helget, Miah Brown, Nathan Rathman, Winsten Nienhaus. Back: Leisha Martinez, Morgan Hoffmann, Carmen Lendt, Marcus Martinez, Jake Price, Taylor Berkner, Katylyn Romberg, Ellen Windschitl, Alex Joramo.

The 2021 FFA Top Scholars include, from left to right: Brooke Arneson, Morgan Hoffmann, Landon Wendinger, Isaac Lendt, and Nora Coulson.

The Top FFA Stars and Leadership Award Winners for 2021-22  include, from left to right – Front: Brooke Arneson, Chloe Howe, Izzy Kunkel, Sophie Kyllonen, Winsten Nienhaus, Nathan Rathman, Adam Johnson, Nora Coulson, Maddi Helget. Back: Presley Braun, Katelyn Capacia, Morgan Hoffmann, Lily Kallevig, Noemi Rodriguez, Jake Price, Marcus Martinez, Kyle Capacia, Leisha Martinez, Isaac Lendt.

Representatives from Christensen Farms, Schwartz Farms, Sleepy Eye Sportsman’s Club, Cunningham Seed Farm, and Central Region Cooperative are pictured with 2021-22 Chapter President Morgan Hoffmann for their efforts and support of the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter.

FFA Advisors, Katie Emmett (left) and Mary Hoffmann (right), are pictured with Mary Ann Christensen (middle), Platinum Level Sponsor and Honorary Chapter Degree Recipient for 2022.