Ari Krizmarzick (left) and Carter Lazatin (right) attended the Summer Welding Class to further develop their MIG and Stick welding skills.

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 July 22nd, the first of the Summer Ag. Classes began including Cooking and Baking. Through these courses, students learned a variety of cooking and baking techniques and made dishes from crepes to cookies, breakfast and desserts.

Beginning on July 23rd, the Summer Welding Class began. In this course, students learned about MIG Welding Safety and Techniques. After making their first weld, students practiced in order to make welding beads and welding joints including butt, lap, and T with different thicknesses of metal. Some students also learned how to Stick Weld and practice those techniques as well.

It is so great for FFA members to come in during the summer to learn new skills or to further develop the skills they have! 40 different students participated in all of the summer classes.

The FFA members will be continuing their involvement this summer with booths at Farmfest and Summerfest, as well as taking projects to the county and state fair.

The Sleepy Eye FFA members had a fun-filled day of learning on the Summer Ag Tour. Pictured at CHS baseball field, Home of the St. Paul Saints is front, l to r: Travis Mages, Noah Rossbach, Carsten Nienhaus, Kaytlyn Romberg, Ruby Tauer, Aranza Tovar, Kenedi Wersal, Camryn Maher. Back: Emerson Johnson, Zack Dominguez, Colton Romberg, Ari Krzmarzick, Kayden Klein, Robert Romberg, James Moore, Cameron Moore, Jaden Stone, Michael Pool, Ella Arkins, Karina Martinez.

On Monday, July 15, 20 FFA members visited a variety of places from the surrounding communities in order to learn about each and the career opportunities within them. Paul Hendrickx and Katie Emmett (Sleepy Eye FFA Advisors), and Morgan Hoffmann (Summer Assistant) attended the tour as well.

The day started with a trip to CHS Field, a baseball park in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is home to the St. Paul Saints of the International League of Minor League Baseball, as well as Hamline University’s baseball team. Students learned about the field, its history, and about turf management and careers associated in this industry.

Next, the group traveled to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The garden showcases more than 40 works from the Walker Art Center’s collections, including the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry, The sculptures are from artists from 10 different countries worldwide and the area attracts more than 700,000 visitors per year. Seeing how different forms of art are made and seeing how welding is used in art is a great connection to skills learned in the agriculture classes.

The third tour was to Minnehaha Falls. Minnehaha Falls is a wilderness waterfall in an urban setting. Overlooking the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Park is one of Minneapolis’ oldest and most popular parks, attracting over 850,000 visitors annually. This was a stop focusing on Natural Resources and Forestry. The park contains oak, elm, silver maple, basswood, hackberry and cottonwood trees, as well as native and prairie woodland wildflowers.

Next, was a quick stop at the World’s Largest Candy Store. This store, which is as long as a football field in length, is home to over 3000 varieties of candies, including rare and imported sweets. Ms. Emmett even found some Irish treat essentials while in the store.

The final tour was to Schmidt Farm. The Schmidt family, including Sarah, Aubree, Kate, and Britta informed the students about livestock. Members learned about swine feed rations and beef genetics as well as how to care for, feed, and show these animals.

The day ended with supper provided by FFA and volleyball in the school gym. Each year, Sleepy Eye FFA conducts one-day tours in the summer with at least three educational stops. This is a fantastic way for our members to gain first-hand knowledge of different aspects of careers and explore the various career pathways and places around the state of Minnesota. From turf grass management to the metal art to the farm, the trip provided a range of numerous career opportunities and aspects of agriculture.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Officer Team is so thankful for the $5000 FFA Alumni and Supporters Give Back to Your Roots Grant sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions. It will help the chapter to continue to offer affiliate membership and allow FFA access to all Sleepy Eye Ag. Students. Pictured l to r: front – Jace Schauman, Alex Confer, Jaelynn Schauman, Taylor Berkner, Anna Johnson, Lucia Martinez, Lily Kallevig. Back – Carter Lazatin, Eric Lozano, Kayden Klein, Ari Krzmarzick, Logan Ludewig, Charlie Hoffmann, Noah Rossbach.

INDIANAPOLIS July 10, 2024/National FFA Organization –The National FFA Organization awarded a $5000 FFA Alumni and Supporters Give Back to Your Roots Grant to Sleepy Eye FFA Alumni. The Sleepy Eye FFA Alumni plans to use the funds to provide access to FFA and all its opportunities for 100% of Ag. Students by being an affiliated chapter in 2024-25. This will allow all members to attend FFA events and participate.

More than $90,000 in grants, supported by Nutrien Ag Solutions, has been awarded through the National FFA Organization’s FFA Alumni and Supporters Give Back to Your Roots Grant program this year. The purpose of the grants is to cover the cost of the FFA student chapter affiliation fees, assist with plant science-based educational opportunities/equipment and supervised agricultural experience programs or help purchase necessary supplies and materials for the local agricultural education program.

The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth, and career success training through agricultural education to 945,988 student members who belong to one of 9,163 local FFA chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The organization is also supported by 725,289 alumni members in 2,550 alumni and supporters chapters.

Sixteen Sleepy Eye Members had a blast on the South Dakota Summer Ag. Tour Adventure! The members that attended Summer Ag Tour include (from left to right): Makayla Strong, Kenedi Wersal, Noah Rossbach, Camryn Maher, Dawson Friton, Paola Gonzalez, Ari Krzmarzick, Carter Lazatin, Cameron Moore, Lily Kallevig, Jacob Moore, Alex Confer, Noah Christensen, Ruby Tauer, Emerson Johnson, and Zack Dominguez.

FFA members from Southern Minnesota participated in the Summer Ag Tour, June 24th through the 26th. 16 Sleepy Eye members attended this trip with FFA advisors, Katie Emmett and Paul Hendrickx, as well as members and advisors from the Tracy and Mountain Lake FFA Chapters. Also, the intern for the summer, Morgan Hoffmann, attended the Ag. Tour.

The students started out their trip by exploring the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.  The Corn Palace is redecorated each year with naturally colored corn and other grains and native grasses to make it “the agricultural show-place of the world”. They currently use 12 different colors or shades of corn to decorate the Corn Palace. A different theme is chosen each year, and murals are designed to reflect that theme.

Next, the group went to tour the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village. The Preservation Society was formed in 1975 to preserve the site. Their mission statement is to promote an understanding of the first people to inhabit this region by developing, preserving and exhibiting a significant collection and archaeological site. They are able to work all year around in the comfort of the Archeodome. The students were able to go into the Archeodome where the laboratory and exhibits are found.

The highlight of the evening was going to Mt. Rushmore. Just seeing the majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln on that mountain is a feeling you almost can’t describe. Learning about how it was “made” and it becoming a National monument was really interesting.

The second day was filled with more learning and excitement. The first stop of the day was at the Badlands. Seeing and climbing through the geologic formations was a really great experience. The Badlands draw visitors from around the world and these striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds.

Next, we took a drive through Custer State Park. The park encompasses 71,000 acres in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The students saw the granite peaks and rolling plains as well as the buffalo herd, and took a small hike.

Following Custer, the group headed to Cosmos Mystery Area. The Cosmos of the Black Hills was discovered by two college boys looking for a place to build a summer cabin. When they entered this area, they discovered something was off. The area is topsey turvey and the laws of nature don’t seem to apply. You have to visit the mystery house yourself to understand the whole experience.

The final day of the tour began with a drive through and a visit to Bear Country USA. There was a three-mile drive through several enclosures where we encountered black bear, elk, reindeer, deer, cougars, bobcats, rocky mountain goats, bighorn sheep, dall sheep, pronghorn and buffalo. At the end of the drive, students were able to visit an area with baby bears, wolves, otters, and more.

Next, was a quick stop at Wall Drug as the group was starting their trip back home. Wall Drug consists of a collection of cowboy-themed stores, including gift shops, and several options for eating as well as an art gallery and an 80-foot dinosaur sculpture.

The supper stop was an experience in itself. The group ate at the Carnaval Brazilian Grill and were able to learn about Brazilian roasting & serving techniques. Originating in Southern Brazil, the style of service they offer is the tableside carving of rotisserie cooked meats by their Gauchos.

The final stop of the South Dakota Adventure Tour was the Sioux Falls Candy Cloud Factory. The Candy Cloud Factory has fresh cotton candy, SDSU ice cream, popcorn, and a Candy Shop full of over 130 types of new and nostalgic candies.

  The Summer Ag Tour is an amazing trip and fun opportunity for FFA members to take advantage of. Students were able to learn more about the numerous parks and tourist adventures of South Dakota. “We want to thank our Ag. and FFA Program Boosters for their support of the trip as we realize it would be too expensive for our members to pay this on our own,” says FFA advisor Katie Emmett.

Caption- The Sleepy Eye FFA members had a fun-filled day of learning on the Summer Ag Tour. Pictured at Niagra Cave- l to r, front: Ruby Tauer, Kaiya Confer, Alex Confer, Lily Kallevig, Charlie Hoffmann, Michael Pool, Paola Gonzalez, Breanna Lopez, Ava Sellner, Ari Krzmarzick.  Back: Travis Mages, Cameron Moore, Carsten Nienhaus, Ethan Feucht, Kenedi Wersal, Allanah Urbano, Camryn Maher, Ella Arkins, Emerson Johnson, Jacob Moore. Not pictured: Zack Dominguez and Karina Martinez.

On Thursday, June 13, 22 FFA members visited a variety of places from the surrounding communities in order to learn about each and the career opportunities within them. Mary Hoffmann, Paul Hendrickx, Katie Emmett (Sleepy Eye FFA Advisors), and Morgan Hoffmann (Summer Assistant) attended the tour as well.

The day started with a  trip to Niagra Cave. Niagara Cave is a limestone cave located in Harmony, Minnesota. The cave is approximately 200 feet deep; features include an underground stream, 60-foot waterfall, fossils, stalactites and stalagmites.

Next, the group traveled to the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minnesota. The museum tells the history of the Hormel Company, the origin of Spam, and its place in world culture.

The third tour was to G & S Manufacturing, a metal fabrication company in Courtland, Minnesota. G&S Manufacturing, LLC is a family owned and operated company since 1994. Their goal is to provide customers with a quality product in a timely manner on structural steel, metal fabrication and/or production runs.

The day ended with a trip to the WOW Zone where members were able to enjoy pizza, bowling, and play laser tag and mini golf. It was a fun way to end the day and was an opportunity to make even more memories with fellow FFA members.

Each year, Sleepy Eye FFA conducts one-day tours in the summer with at least three educational stops. This is a fantastic way for our members to gain first-hand knowledge of different aspects of careers and explore the various career pathways. From different geological formations to the metal fab shop, the trip provided a range of numerous career opportunities.