Crofton FFA Chapter Happenings

Members of the Crofton FFA Chapter have continued to stay very busy since our last Heartland Express news article.  One of the exciting events, in which Crofton took part, was serving at the Yankton Community Supper at the Calvary Baptist Church in Yankton.  The members who helped serve the supper included:  Tracy Barnes, Sadie Erdmann, Brandon Hegge, Brittany Hegge, Angela Kaiser, Hannah Kast, Elizabeth Kube, Katie Mueller, Katie Petersen, Maxine Schieffer, Samantha Stewart, and Derek Van Heek.  Other Crofton High students who joined us were Dakota Miller and Tom Peitz.

The Don Potts Memorial Euchre Tournament took place on December 4^th.  Brandon Hegge and Taylor Tammen volunteered to help with the event.  All of the proceeds from the tournament were generously donated to the Crofton FFA chapter for scholarships and general use.  We would like to thank all who either donated or helped with the event as well as the players who so generously supported the cause.  Great thanks to Leonarda Arens, Kathy Nohr, Patty Plantenberg, Terry Mueller, Donelda Potts, Billy Sage, Jesse Johnson, and Barb and Todd Steffen for donating food for the tournament.  Also thank you to Betty Potts, Billy Sage, Mike Mueller, and Barb and Todd Steffen for organizing and running the event.  Another huge thanks is also in order for Barb and Todd Steffen for hosting the tournament at Fritz’s.  Please forgive us if we have forgotten any community members who helped out with this amazing event. 

Members started out the holiday season with the annual community Christmas tree lighting.  This also took place at the Crofton south park.  Members from the chapter helped to serve hot chocolate to those attending.  Members who went to the tree lighting were: Wesdon Wortmann, Abby Braun, Alex Allen, Alex Janssen, Dylan Potts, Chase Zimmerman, Brooke Lancaster, Vanessa McFarland, Amy Mueller, Katie Mueller, Elizabeth Kube, Makenzie Johnson, Angela Kaiser, Kendy Kube, Olivia Monaghan, and Chelsea Wortmann.

The chapter’s annual Fruit Sales came in on the week of December 13^th.  Members did a great job selling this year and set a new record that will hopefully be reached next year also.  Thank you to all who purchased fruit this year!  Also, thank you to the Crofton Volunteer Fire Department for allowing us to use the Crofton Fire Hall as storage for the fruit.

District Livestock Judging took place on January 26^th at the Northeast Community College Ag Complex. This year the contest rules were changed to match more closely with the state contest.  Members saw two cull-keep classes instead of one and the evaluations were eliminated completely.  However, in place of the evaluations there was a written industry test.  These changes will help qualifying teams be more prepared for the state contest. The senior teams earned purples with their 1^st and 5^th place finishes out of 23 teams!  The teams consisted of Travis Allvin, Henry Goeden, Mathew Guenther, Brittany Hegge, Taylor Johnson, Brady Steffen, Wesdon Wortmann and Jessica Wubben. There were 90 senior individuals who competed on the district level.  Earning purples and qualifying for state were Wesdon (tied for 1^st place), Mathew (3^rd place) and Brady (8^th place).  Henry earned a blue and also qualified for state with his 12^th place finish.  Travis Allvin and Taylor Johnson earned blue ribbons and Brittany Hegge received a red.  The junior teams consisted of Ronnie Ausdemore, Molly Bossman, Preston Evans, Kendy Kube, Sawyer Poore, Abby Steffen, Maria Wortmann and Mariah Zavadil.  The teams placed 9^th and 11^th out of 22 teams, both earning blue ribbons.  In the junior division, there were 82 individuals who competed.  Molly earned a purple (6^th place), Preston received a blue, and Sawyer and Abby earned red ribbons.  Great job to Crofton FFA’s Livestock Selection teams! 

FFA State Honor Choir selections were made in February.  Being selected for this prestigious honor were:  Sadie Erdmann, Brandon Hegge, Heather Lancaster, Cole Steffen and Hali Strom.  The FFA state chorus is a great opportunity for members to display their talents and a great experience for those who take part.

District Proficiency Reviews were held in Crofton on February 4^th.  The FFA Advisors from all twelve chapters in our district gathered to evaluate proficiency applications.  Crofton was represented by two members in the competition.  Earning a gold state-qualifying rating was Travis Poppe in Diversified Agriculture Placement.  Mathew Guenther earned a silver rating in Beef Production Placement.

State FFA Degree Interviews and Testing were also held at Crofton High School on Monday, February 6^th.  The State FFA Degree is the highest honor a member can receive at the state level.  The procedure involves extensive record keeping on two to four years of the member’s SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience), completion of a 14 page application, a FFA general knowledge exam and an interview with two judges. 

Derek Van Heek was selected to take part in the 2^nd annual Agricultural Issues Academy, which will be an all-day event during the State FFA Convention in Lincoln in March.  He will be talking with state representatives, business people and other FFA members about how to advocate for agriculture.  We will have more details in our state follow-up article.

National FFA Week was celebrated the week of George Washington’s birthday (February 21^st through the 25^th.)   The week started off with 96 locker posters designed and posted by the Crofton FFA officers.  The week was busy with many other activities.  Tuesday was designated as “Tractor Tuesday”.  Many students and even one staff member, Mr. Bossman, drove a tractor to school to support our agricultural producers.  The Junior High members organized a “fear factor” contest.  Wednesday was Official FFA Dress day.  In addition, members delivered cookies to many of the area businesses – at least the ones that were open before 8 a.m.  The freshmen hosted a cake eating contest for a fun activity during the lunch periods.  On Thursday, staff members were treated to an appreciation breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausage, hash browns and juice prepared by FFA members.  It is a small token of our appreciation for their support through the year.  The sophomores organized and carried out a frozen shirt contest during the lunch periods on Thursday.  All contests were followed up with prizes to the winners.  To end the week, Mrs. Mann and seven members, Brent Evans, Preston Evans, Henry Goeden, Braston Maibaum, Lane Weidner, Jazmin Wubben and Jessica Wubben traveled to Kearney on Friday to take part in the Made for Excellence (MFE) conference.  We would like to thank everyone who participated in the activities this year. 

District Career Development Events were held at Northeast Community College on February 29^th. Here members took part in various competitions and many qualified for state.  The top three teams out of the twelve in our district qualified to compete in the state convention. Agribusiness Management  – 2^nd Mathew Guenther (5^th), Taylor Johnson (7^th), Jessica Wubben (10^th), Henry Goeden (11^th).  Agricultural Mechanics – 5^th Jake Guenther, Alex Janssen, Luke Kleinschmit, Corbin Wavrunek.  Agriscience (2 teams) – 1^st and 2^nd; Lane Weidner (2^nd), Vanessa McFarland (3^rd), Samantha Guenther (5^th), Ronnie Ausdemore (6^th), Lily Steffen (7^th), Mariah Zavadil (10^th), Kendy Kube (13^th), Rachel Jungclaus (15^th)  Unfortunately only one team (top 4 individuals) can compete at state.  Agronomy – 1^st:  Andrea Zavadil (1^st), Jacob Kaiser (3^rd), Lane Suing (5^th), Travis Allvin (11^th).  Floriculture – 2^nd :  Olivia Monaghan (4^th), Angela Kaiser (9^th), Whitney Miller (11^th), Makenzie Johnson (19^th).  Livestock Management – 6^th Maria Wortmann – Dairy (1^st), Whitney Miller – Horse (3^rd), Bridget Arens – Beef (4^th), Brandon Hegge – Swine (4^th), Mathew Guenther – Poultry (6^th), Preston Evans – Sheep (11^th).  Nursery/Landscape – 1^st Abby Braun (1^st), Brayton Hagge (2^nd), Abby Steffen (3^rd), Taylor Tammen (5^th).    Great job to all of these teams for representing our chapter and our school well!

The first official March activity was the March meeting held on March 6^th.  The usual meeting was transacted but we had a special presentation at the end.  Brock and Joslyn Foxhoven came to talk to the members about the many issues facing Agriculture today.  They also visited about the Nebraska Cattleman’s Association.  Brock donated the cost of membership to officially enroll our FFA chapter as a member of Nebraska Cattleman’s.  We would like to graciously thank Brock and Joslyn for their presentation and donation.  Also at this meeting officer applications were handed out.  Officer Interviews will be taking place soon after state convention and the new officers will be instated at the FFA Banquet, which will be held on May 7^th.

Crofton FFA and FCCLA members took part in the Kids against Hunger program on March 20^th at the Cavalry Baptist Church in Yankton.  Forty-eight Crofton students participated in this event which helps to package food for the needy.  The majority of the food packaged at this gathering was to be sent to Haiti.  This was a good community service project for members to take part in and we had an awesome turnout as packaged 8,640 meals!

Each year, FFA members from around the state work for the opportunity to take part in the State FFA Convention.  Many Crofton FFA members were no exception.  Fifty-six local FFA members worked diligently to secure their spot on the team which would represent our school and district at the 84th Nebraska State FFA Convention, which was held March 28th-31st in Lincoln.  The activities are held at the Cornhusker Hotel, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus and Pershing Auditorium.  In addition to the many competitions which took place, members attended general sessions and business meetings; attended a legislative breakfast, listened to motivational speakers; attended the Leadership Academy, presented by Wyatt DeJong and Shannon Norris—Past National FFA Officers, and other leadership workshops; took part in the Nebraska State FFA Career Fair; and helped with a variety of service projects at the People’s City Mission and the Walter.

Some of the speakers who addressed the FFA members at the 2012 State FFA Convention were Dr. Steve Waller, UNL; Teresa Scanlan from Gering, Nebraska who was crowned 2011 Miss America at 17 years of age; C.C. Vernon, motivational speaker; The Honorable Dave Heineman, Governor of Nebraska; Patrick Maurer, motivational speaker; Jason Troendle, 2011-2012 National FFA Secretary; Greg Ibach Department of Agriculture; and Dr. Ronnie Green, Vice Chancellor, UNL-Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  Leadership workshops included “Lead by Example” presented by Perkins County FFA, which focused on the dangers of texting and driving and how it greatly affected their chapter by the death of one of their chapter officers as well as another friend.  Another workshop detailed how members can be “Agvocates” (advocates for Agriculture) through social media.  Jason Troendle, 2011-2012 National FFA Secretary, presented a workshop entitled “You Drive”.  The Kansas State FFA officers delivered a workshop called, “Welcome to the End of Normal”.

Crofton FFA members who took part in the service projects this year toured the People’s City Mission, which shelters 350 homeless individuals each night, including 70 school-aged children.  In addition to the tour, Crofton members sorted food and clothing at the Mission’s distribution center, helped with landscaping, cleaned up trash and readied supplies for the children’s Easter basket decorating activity.  The members who helped at The Walter, an apartment complex for the elderly, helped with a variety of activities such as moving furniture, labeling computer cables and cleaning.  The residents were very thankful and the members explained what a meaningful experience it was to help those who are in need.

A highlight of Convention was when Travis Poppe was named the state winner in the Diversified Agricultural Production proficiency area.  He was named a state finalist in February and then had to go through rigorous interviews in Lincoln.  His application will go on to national competition, where he will be competing against the state winners from around the nation.

In the Leadership Skills Events, Katie Mueller earned a spot in finals and 3rd place gold in the area of Senior Public Speaking.   Junior Public Speaker, Jazmin Wubben, earned a silver medal.  Cole Steffen, earned a bronze medal for his FFA Creed Speaking efforts.  The Senior Parliamentary Procedure team of Katie Mueller, Taylor Schmidt, Maxine Schieffer, Jordan Braunsroth, Nathan Hoffman and Elizabeth Kube earned a plaque for their silver ranking.  The Junior Parliamentary Procedure team of Samantha Guenther, Mollie Bossman, Vanessa McFarland, Lily Steffen, Colton Foxhoven, Lane Weidner and Cole Steffen also earned a silver plaque.  Team members also included Brent Evans, Brooke Lancaster, Tyler Koch and Kendy Kube.

Crofton was represented by several teams in the Career Development Events.  Awards are given on the “Danish” system of placing.  Purple is the top ribbon, followed by blue, red and white.  Less than one-half of all competitors and teams even earn a ribbon in the competition.  There are 36 to 70 teams in each event.  The Ag Communications team of Alex Janssen, Jake Guenther and Corbin Wavrunek earned 9th place red.  Individually, Alex earned a blue and Corbin earned white.  The Ag Sales team of Alex Allen, Bailey Forman, Amy Mueller and Hali Strom also competed and Amy earned a red ribbon, individually.  In the area of Agriscience, Ronnie Ausdemore and Rachel Jungclaus earned white ribbons.  Kendy Kube and Mariah Zavadil were also on the team.  The Agronomy team of Travis Allvin, Jacob Kaiser, Lane Suing and Andrea Zavadil finished in 9th place overall.  Travis and Jacob earned purple ribbons and Lane and Andrea earned blues.  The Agribusiness Management team earned 6th place overall.  Henry Goeden led the team with a purple, followed by Jessica Wubben and Mathew Guenther each earned blues and Taylor Johnson earned a red.  The Floriculture team earned a white, with Olivia Monaghan earning a blue ribbon, individually.  Other team members were Makenzie Johnson, Angela Kaiser and Whitney Miller.  The Senior Livestock Judging team of Henry Goeden, Wesdon Wortmann, Brady Steffen and Mathew Guenther brought home 8th place.  Henry and Wesdon earned blue ribbons and Brady and Mathew earned red ribbons.  The Nursery/Landscape team of Abby Braun, Brayton Hagge, Abby Steffen and Taylor Tammen received 7th place.  Individually, Abby Braun and Brayton received blue ribbons and Abby Steffen earned a red.

In addition to the competitions, there were other activities in which members were selected to take part.  Bridget Arens and Maria Wortmann served on the state Delegate Committee to discuss topics affecting Nebraska and National FFA.  They then had to vote on several motions, which were brought forth at the convention.  Riley Haberman, Brittany Hegge, Sawyer Poore and Adam Spady served on the FFA Courtesy Corps.  FFA members from around the state performed with the Nebraska State FFA Honor Choir.  

Crofton was also represented by 18 junior high FFA members who competed in the Junior High Quiz Bowl and Leadership Workshops on Friday during the convention.  Junior high members included:  Samantha Altwine, Conner Braunsroth, Brittany Guenther, Jaxon Guenther, Keeley Hagge, Kaleb Johnson, Hannah Kast, Kristopher Koch, Derek Maibaum, Lucas Miller, Justin Mueller, Kali Pavlik, Katie Petersen, Lauren Steffen, Samantha Stewart, Alyssa White, Chelsea Wortmann and Chase Zimmerman.  The junior high members were sponsored by Tammy Braunsroth, Kimberly Kast and Brenda Petersen.

The members had a very busy three days while at the 84th Nebraska State FFA Convention.  The 56 high school members were accompanied by Stephanie Mann, Crofton Agricultural Instructor and FFA Advisor; chaperones Janita Kube, Tracey Mueller and Jolene Steffen; and bus driver Mark Krepel.

The Crofton FFA chapter hosted an Ag Producer/Ag Businessmen Appreciation Breakfast on Monday, April 9^th in the Crofton High School commons.  All Ag producers in the area were invited to attend.  Members served a delicious breakfast to show our appreciation for everyone in our area who helps to feed the world. 

As we close the school year and say good bye to the senior members, we look forward to the many opportunities which await the current and new members.  Some of the upcoming events include the annual FFA Banquet will be held on May 7^th.  There will be a meal followed by special recognitions and officer inductions, COLT Conference for the new officers, Knox County Relay for Life, and N Power Conference.  Have a great spring and summer!