School Bag

Sleepy Eye FFA Excels at State FFA Convention

Kayden Klein earned first place in the Best Informed Greenhand Competition out of 449 individuals at the State FFA Convention!

Soils State — The Soils CDE Team placed 3rd at State. Pictured l to r: Coach Larry Baumgardt, Isaac Lendt, Nathan Rathman, Caleb Suess, Winsten Nienhaus, Advisor and Coach Paul Hendrickx. Not pictured: Wyatt Feucht.

Poultry State — The Poultry CDE Team placed 4th at State. Pictured l to r: Advisor and Coach Mary Hoffmann with team members Mateo Moreno, Ari Krzmarzick, Logan Ludewig, and Leo Fernandez.

Proficiencies — Isaac Lendt (left, Swine Production Entrepreneurship) and Sophie Kyllonen (right, Dairy Production Placement) were both named Runner Up in the State for their Proficiency Awards.

State Degrees at State — Eleven Sleepy Eye FFA members earned their State Degrees at the Minnesota FFA State Convention. Pictured l to r: front – Brooke Arneson, Jade Sellner, Gracie Sellner, Leisha Martinez, Grecia Navarro. Back – State FFA Treasurer Brynn Lozinski, Conor Strong, Gunny Coulson, Adam Johnson, Jake Price, Sophie Gustafson, and National FFA Central Region Vice President: Karstyn Cantrell from Oklahoma. Not pictured: Cristal Schmidtknecht.

State 2023 — The Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter had an amazing 2023 State FFA Convention in the Twin Cities! They were named a Top 3 Chapter for the National Chapter Award. 71 members participated in the convention and numerous members earned awards as well as the chapter. Pictured to l to r, front: Lucia Martinez, Anna Johnson, Daniel Armstrong, Alex Confer, Lily Kallevig, Grecia Navarro, Brooke Arneson, Jade Sellner, Megan Sellner, Madi Martinez, Hannah Meyer, Jace Schauman, Clark Lazatin, Yuri Fernandez, Andrew Ramos. Row 2: Envy Morales, Jose Castorena, Noah Rossbach, Santi Martinez, Kyle Capacia, Carter Lazatin, Leisha Martinez, Callie Evers, Ava Kunkel, Kamille Capacia, Destiney Dittbenner, Sam Price, Jony Flores, Mateo Hornsby, Izzy Kunkel, Chloe Howe, Amy Van Bragt. Row 3: Katelyn Tauer, Mateo Moreno, Conor Strong, Leo Fernandez, Marcus Martinez, Isaac Lendt, Alex Dominguez, McCoy Marti, Ari Krzmarzick, Robert Romberg, Sophie Gustafson, Rachel Portner, Riley Eckstein Sprenger, Ethan Evans. Back row: Carson Uecker, Trevor Rathman, Nolan Weicherding, Gavin Fischer, Nathan Rathman, Jacob Fulmer, Kayden Klein, Gunny Coulson, Logan Ludewig, Jake Price, Adam Johnson, Winsten Nienhaus, Antonio Ruiz, Charlie Hoffmann.

State Band and Choir — Four Sleepy Eye Members participated in the State FFA Band and Choir. Pictured l to r are the participants: Anna Johnson, Envy Morales, Santi Martinez, Lucia Martinez.

Agriscience Fair Plant Systems D2 Winners — Jacob Fulmer and Megan Sellner were named the Plant Systems, Division II, 1st Place Award Winners for the Agriscience Fair.

By Chloe Howe, Chapter Reporter

Seventy-one Sleepy Eye FFA Members traveled to the University of Minnesota Campuses and State Fairgrounds, where they participated in the Annual Minnesota FFA State Convention. More than 5,000 FFA members, advisors and guests from throughout the state gathered for the convention from Sunday, April 23 – Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

The Sleepy Eye FFA members traveled to Convention with Advisors, Mary Hoffmann, Katie Emmett, and Paul Hendrickx, Assistant Advisor Ben Seifert, and Paraprofessional Sarah Trebesch.

The Sleepy Eye FFA Career Development Event teams brought home plaques and success stories after competing at the state level. Seven Sleepy Eye FFA CDE Teams placed in the Top Nine for CDE contests.

Sleepy Eye CDE Results:
Best Informed Greenhand (BIG) Team: 2^nd Place Gold

Kayden Klein (1st Place Individual out of 449 participants), Mateo Hornsby, Destiney Dittbenner, Ari Krzmarzick, Lucia Martinez

Soils Team: 3^rd Place Gold

Wyatt Feucht (6^th Place Individual out of 163 participants), Isaac Lendt, Winsten Nienhaus, Nathan Rathman

Poultry Team: 4^th Place Gold

Leo Fernandez, Ari Krzmarzick, Logan Ludewig, Mateo Moreno

Market Plan: 5^th Place

Gunny Coulson, Adam Johnson, Jade Sellner

Floriculture Team: 7^th Place Gold

Brooke Arneson, Lily Kallevig, Grecia Navarro, Jose Castorena

BIG Team #2: 7^th Place Gold

Carter Lazatin, Alex Confer, Logan Ludewig, Noah Rossbach, Sam Price

Milk Quality Team: 9^th Place Gold

Megan Sellner, Jace Schauman, Callie Evers, Carter Lazatin

Dairy Cattle Evaluation Team: 19^th Place Gold

Rachel Portner, Gracie Sellner, Lucia Martinez, Jared Portner

BIG Team #3: 22^nd Place Gold

McCoy Marti, Daniel Armstrong, Charlie Hoffmann, Hannah Meyer

Meats: 14^th Place Silver

Gavin Fischer, Nolan Weicherding, Trevor Rathman, Yuridia Fernandez

Nursery Landscape Team: 15^th Place Silver

Kyle Capacia, Marcus Martinez , Leisha Martinez, Madelyn Martinez

BIG Team #4: Silver

Yuridia Fernandez, Jasmine Petermann, Andrew Ramos

Fish & Wildlife Team: Bronze

Abigail Hornsby, Jake Price, Robert Romberg, Katelyn Wurtzberger

Forestry Team: Bronze

Daniel Armstrong, Clark Lazatin, Riley Eckstein-Sprenger, Ethan Evans

Horse Team: Bronze

Sophie Gustafson, Kenedi Wersal, Camryn Maher

State FFA Choir Participant:

Envy Morales

State FFA Band Participants:

Santi Martinez, Lucia Martinez, and Anna Johnson

In the proficiency category, the following individuals placed in the top three in the state:

Sophie Kyllonen – Dairy Production Placement: Runner Up at State

Isaac Lendt – Swine Production Entrepreneurship: Runner Up at State

The Sleepy Eye FFA had 11 members receive their State FFA Degrees while at the State FFA Convention. They included: Brooke Arneson, Gunny Coulson, Sophie Gustafson, Adam Johnson, Leisha Martinez, Grecia Navarro, Jake Price, Cristal Schmidtknecht, Gracie Sellner, Jade Sellner, Conor Strong.

We had several junior high students participate in the State Agriscience Fair this year. We had two groups in the Top 2 for the Plant Systems Division –

Jacob Fulmer & Megan Sellner – State Winner
Jony Flores & Carson Uecker – Runner Up

Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter Results:

Sleepy Eye FFA was named a Top 3 Premier Chapter in the State of Minnesota for the National Chapter Award.
Sleepy Eye was the Runner Up Chapter for the Ag. Literacy Challenge.
Sleepy Eye was 3^rd in the state for the Land of Service Challenge.
Sleepy Eye FFA was also recognized as a Model of Innovation Finalist for Growing Leaders – Wee Deliver Buddies Program with 3^rd graders.

Our chapter also conducted a Service Project Workshop at the Convention. The service projects members from across the state participated in were making cards/posters for nursing home residents and writing thank you notes to advisors. Over 50 members also participated in a service project on Sunday of Convention by setting up the workshop areas and four contest sites.

The Sleepy Eye FFA has a lot to be proud of in 2023. The members worked very hard this year to qualify for and excel at their state competitions! Advisor Mary Hoffmann states, “I am so proud of all of the hard work that the Sleepy Eye FFA members show on a daily basis! Through their efforts with CDE’s, their SAE’s, Ag. Courses, and Community Services projects, these members show and earn success through their great work ethic and dedication!”