Fort Atkinson FFA 92nd annual banquet held, recognitions received

The Fort Atkinson FFA held its 92nd annual banquet Monday, April 12, at Fort Atkinson High School.

The banquet is held to celebrate the members of the organization and their accomplishments and achievements throughout the year. During the banquet, the organization recognized degree recipients and scholarship winners, acknowledged membership participation, thanked its supporters and said farewell to its graduating high school seniors.

The club’s 2021-2022 Fort Atkinson FFA officer team was also installed. New team members include: Mason Brandl, president; Hailey Besch, vice president of student development; Marnie Draves, vice president of chapter development; Liam Bos, vice president of community development; Karmyn Gross, secretary, and Mariah Luebke, treasurer.

Members who served as the 2020-2021 officer team include: Jax Bound, president; Ethan Heagney, vice president of student development; Paige Huppert, vice president of chapter development;  Deanna Pfaff, vice president of community development; Karmyn Gross, secretary;  Liam Bos, treasurer, and Hailey Besch, sentinel/reporter. 

Awards

According to information recently released by the School District of Fort Atkinson, FFA members received the following awards and recognitions:

Steve Hartwig, who received the Outstanding Agriculturalist award, which was formerly known as the Outstanding Area Farmer award. The award is given to someone in the community who positively represents the ideals and practices of the agriculture industry. Members of the community and those in agriculture look up to this person as an example of someone that represents themselves and agriculture exceptionally well, the release stated. 

The award was presented to Hartwig by high school senior Ethan Heagney, who noted that Hartwig has been generous with his family’s farm by allowing students and advisors to visit, and has supported and facilitated multiple youth apprenticeships and supervised agricultural experiences over the past few years. He has gone above and beyond by showing two Fort FFA members the ropes within his part of agriculture. Through the hands-on experience that he has supplied over the past few years, a member was able to complete an Agricultural Proficiency Award application and has developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers.

Steve Mahoney, who received the distinguished service award, which is given to a business or individual who is always behind the scenes helping at FFA events.

The award was presented to Mahoney by high school senior Paige Huppert and junior Karmyn Gross.  

“This year’s recipient did so much for not only FFA but the entire school during the craziness of a year we had. The cheer in their voice can be heard up and down the halls engaging with students and staff. If you plan on interviewing for an officer position you will most likely see this friendly face in one of your interviews. They will often come to the ag pod to check up on what we are working on that week. With athletics being able to compete and practice this person pushed for the school organizations and clubs to be able to have in-person meetings. They also made it possible for fundraisers including the fruit sale, pretzels, beef sticks, and strawberries sales. They helped to allow FFA members to come to school and help unload the fruit sale truck, saving Mrs. Lyon and Ms. Parsons from having to do it themselves because we all know that they would still be unloading today. When some don’t understand why FFA members need to leave class early for events and contests this person will take time out of their day to explain to them that it is just like athletes leaving for a game. Over the past four years of being an FFA member, this individual’s unexpected visits to the classrooms are one of my favorite things,” the presenters noted. 

Harman and Jenny Bos were awarded for Outstanding Support. 

The outstanding support award is given to individuals who show great dedication and support towards the FFA chapter. Their contributions help the chapter run smoothly, according to the release. The award was presented by high school junior Liam Bos, who said: “This year’s recipients have helped with a lot of tasks that most people probably never even think about. However, these tasks, regardless of size are vital to the success of the chapter. These tasks are often forgotten and all the challenges this past year, made them even more difficult. They helped with the fruit sale, creating more than 160 individual invoices for fruit orders, helping to create a streamlined and accurate process for pickup and tracking totals. In addition, this year’s recipients also donated the use of their equipment to help keep the test plot maintained and the ditch mowed so the plot could be accessed. There are many more tasks this recipient has helped with over the years, making them one of our go-to’s when we need help, and they have already asked to be a sponsor of the test plot for this year, too.” 

Jim Bound and Lisa Lubbert were also recognized for Outstanding support. The award was presented by senior Jax Bound, who said: “This year’s second winners are people who have truly brought my love of agriculture to life. They have also allowed many other students to experience firsthand agriculture’s impact on everyday lives. The love these two shares for this FFA chapter and the future of AG is like no other. They have helped with petting zoos, farm tours, the holiday parade, banquet help and so much more. These individuals bring the best ideas and will always find new plans if our original ideas didn’t work out. They have been involved in FFA for many years donating their talents. For the past four years, I may or may not have forced them to become overly involved. The years were filled with ‘Can you take me here; can you make this happen?’. Sometimes they were given a task with only an hour’s notice. I wouldn’t be where I am today without these two individuals.”

Justin Ulrich was awarded Honorary Chapter Degree, which the release described as the highest award an individual can receive from a chapter. National FFA requirements for receiving the award stipulate that the recipient provides exceptional service to agriculture, agriculture education, agribusiness, or FFA.

The award was presented to Ulrich by high school senior Deanna Pfaff and junior Hailey Besch, who noted: “This year’s recipient advocates for agriculture on a daily basis and has been an important asset to our test plot. He did a majority of the work, spending his time and his machinery to plow, plant, and harvest the 20 acres of corn.” 

Outstanding SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience): According to the release, these experiences “are a vital component within Agricultural Education. They help students develop skills needed to succeed within not only the agriculture industry but really in any career field. Record-keeping, time management, and goal-setting are just a few of the skills that members learn within their SAE. All FFA members are encouraged to develop an SAE.  

“We would like to recognize some of our top SAE students who have taken the plunge into the agriculture industry and are learning a wide range of skills. While not all of these students have filled out proficiency awards, we encourage you to consider it for next year.” 

Among those recognized were: Freshmen: Cal Anderson, Archer Brantmeier, Julian Bos, JB Bound, Cory Hamilton, Josh Lavdas, Owen Strauss and Marcus Tesch; Sophomores: Emerson Brandenburg, Blayne Fletcher, Tawney Hadler, Nathan Hartwig, Jeffery Kutz and Jakob Redenius; Juniors: Hailey Besch, Liam Bos, Marnie Draves, Karmyn Gross, Grace Lemke, Elizabeth Percival and Teigan Reich; Senior: Jax Bound, Mariah Eichenberg, Ethan Heagney, Travis Kutz, Alex Partoll and Deanna Pfaff.

Agriculture Education Scholar: These awards are given for Scholastic excellence in Agriculture Education.  The award is presented to the top scholars in each grade level.  It recognizes that agriculture requires informed, eager, and intelligent leaders to maintain agricultural traditions in the future, the release stated. 

Those recognized included: Elly Naber, grade 8; Ava Stedman, grade 9; Ellie Tuten, grade 10; Alyx Hoefler, grade 11, and Paige Huppert grade 12. 

Discovery Degree: Discovery FFA Degrees are given out at the chapter level to members who meet the following requirements: the member must be in FFA in their 8th-grade year of middle school, the release stated. 

Those recognized included: Jett Alexander, Cassidy Beierle, Jessica Besch, Ella Foerster, Emily Foerster, Trace Hadler, Zoe Janecek, Brayden McGeough, Elly Naber, Robert Naber, Kendra Pfaff and Katelyn Schenck.

Star Discovery Degree: This award is given to an 8th grader who shows outstanding leadership and goes above and beyond as a first-year FFA member, according to the release. 

Recognized this year, were Elly Naber and Jessica Besch.

Greenhand Degree: The Greenhand degree is the second degree available to all FFA members who have had an active membership for one year, according to the release. 

Recipients included: Cal Anderson, Kaiden Bates, Julian Bos, Hunter Boschult, JB Bound, Archer Brantmeier, Tanner Cusick, Rachel Edwards, Blayne Fletcher, Gionny Garcia, Skyla Goodearle, Alex Garrett-Grandt, Cory Hamilton, Alyx Hoefler, Gavin Ketterman, Josh Lavdas, Christian Lehmann, Rodney Miller, Nathan Navarro Guerrero, Olivia O’Neill, Ian Oakley, Ava Stedman, Owen Strauss, Marcus Tesch, Keana Williams-Schaller and Star Greenhand.  

The Star Greenhand award, the release noted, goes to a member who is always eager to participate in any FFA event, help out around the Ag department, and exhibits great leadership qualities. This year’s recipient was high school freshman Cal Anderson. 

Chapter Degree: The FFA Chapter degree is awarded to members who have completed two full years of agriculture-related courses. Earning your chapter degree is not only a huge accomplishment but a gateway to many more successes yet to come in your FFA journey, the release continued. Recipients included: Jenna Bautzmann, Emerson Brandenburg, Spencer Brock, Erin Dahnert, Bryanna Duddeck, Mariah Eichenberg, Aaron Fraley, Tawney Hadler, Nathan Hartwig, Jeffery Kutz, Mariah Luebke, Jack Opperman, Melia Schueller, Emma Stahl and Elliannah Walton. 

Star Chapter Degree: The star chapter degree is designed to recognize an outstanding second year member for their involvement and accomplishments in FFA. This member’s hard work and determination truly helped make this a successful year, the release noted. This year’s recipient was high school sophomore Jeffery Kutz.

Star SAE Awards: As stated in the release: “These awards are given to members who have completed Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Programs in Production Agriculture, Agriculture Placement, and Agriculture Business. These members have displayed the leadership qualities necessary to succeed in today’s world. Awards and recipients within this category are as follows: 

Star Farmer: Jax Bound. 

“This year’s Star Farmer has an outstanding production SAE (and it is) one they have been involved in for their whole life.  This member’s SAE is not your typical ‘farming’ SAE. While there is a cattle component to their SAE, it’s not the majority. Our recipient is not afraid to get dirty or move and handle things that are not only (a lot) taller, but far outweigh them. This member’s SAE is based on Equine Production, and she’s so impressive in this area that she was selected as a member of the 2020 AQHA Youth World Cup Team USA,” the release read.  

Star in AgriBusiness: Marnie Draves. 

“This year’s Star Agribusiness person has their own little enterprise in Food Processing. Many people might think this member is quiet and reserved, but there is no doubt that they have the organization, time management, and dedication to make their SAE successful. It doesn’t hurt either that this member makes delicious food like maple syrup and jam,” the release noted.

Star Placement: Liam Bos.  

“This year’s Star Placement has a strong SAE that also serves as their Youth Apprenticeship. This member is using their knowledge as part of the Test Plot Committee to help us have another successful test plot this year. While this person can be a bit squirrely at times, they are not afraid to get dirty and work hard whether it’s part of their SAE, or helping out around the department. While their SAE is following in their older brother’s footsteps, there’s no doubt that he will make this SAE, at Hoards Dairyman Farm, his own,” the release stated.

Key Committee Member: Paige Huppert. 

According to the release: “This year’s recipient is key to planning events whether they are planning the events or assisting others with planning events. One of the first things we were able to do this year was a series of events to celebrate National FFA Week. This member planned a variety of activities that saw a huge increase in participation from previous years.”

Most Improved Member: Mariah Luebke.

“This year’s most improved member spent their freshman year always saying they wanted to get involved, but couldn’t seem to take that step. Over the past year, despite the unusual circumstances, this member finally took those steps. Not only has this member been involved in the activities we’ve been able to do, this member has also stepped up when we need an extra set of hands. Additionally, this member went from ‘somewhat involved’ to an Officer Candidate for 2021-2022,” the release noted.

Most Valuable Member: Travis Kutz. 

From the release: “The 2021 Most Valuable FFA member is dependable and reliable and always willing to help out. This member is up for just about any task, as long as it’s hands-on. While they may not always be around, whenever we need an extra set of hands, this member is the first one to volunteer.”

Most Active Member: Deanna Pfaff. 

“During a normal year, the FFA hosts dozens of activities, attends multiple workshops and conferences, and provides many opportunities for members to get involved in the community. Participation in these things allows members to accumulate points throughout the year and be awarded Gold, Silver, or Bronze membership at the banquet. For the past year, we have only had a couple of events, and we were limited on numbers that could participate, so no points were awarded this year. However, there’s one member who, despite no point system being used, and limited events available, has always been around. And that’s not an exaggeration, this member is always around, and you always know because quiet is not in their bag of skills. There is a constant:‘What can I do?’ or ‘What needs to be done?’ or ‘Can I come in even though there’s no school?’ This member makes sure to keep the level of crazy at, or above, optimal level. Despite the fact that this member sometimes drives us crazy with their constant presence, we know we can always rely on them to do whatever we need done, no matter how big, small, or dirty the task is,” the release stated.

DeKalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award: Ethan Heagney.

“This year’s recipient is an honors student, part of other school clubs, sports, and activities, and their involvement in the FFA and their leadership is outstanding. This recipient has been present at almost every FFA event or activity and has stepped up big in the last year taking on even more leadership roles. This member’s SAE has been a true learning experience, so much so that they can teach us about that part of the industry. Their accomplishments and contributions to our chapter, our school, and our community are too numerous to list,” according to the release.

Wisconsin State FFA Degrees

Defined within the release as “the highest degree a State FFA Association can award a member, this degree demonstrates the student has put an exceptional amount of time into their SAE and local chapter.

Requirements to earn this degree include:  

• Received a Chapter FFA Degree.
• Have been an active FFA member for at least two years (24 months) at the time of receiving the State FFA Degree
• Have completed at least 2 years (360 hours) of systematic school instruction in agricultural education at or above the ninth-grade level, which includes an SAE.
• Have earned and productively invested at least $1000 and worked at least 300 hours in excess of scheduled class time, in a supervised agricultural experience program. The combination of hours and earnings multiplied by a factor of 3.33 must be equal to or greater than the number 1,000.
• Demonstrated leadership ability by performing 10 parliamentary law procedures, giving a six-minute speech on a topic relating to agriculture or FFA, and serving as an FFA officer, committee chairperson, or committee member.
• Have a satisfactory academic record, certified by the agriculture teacher and the school principal or superintendent.
• Participated in the planning and implementation of the chapter’s Program of Activities.
• Complete at least 25 hours of community service in a minimum of two different activities. All community service hours are cumulative, i.e. the 10 community service hours used to obtain the chapter degree can be used toward the state degree.Recipients from Fort Atkinson FFA

Recipients include: Hailey Besch, Liam Bos, Marnie Draves, Ethan Heagney and Deanna Pfaff.

American FFA Degree Candidate

Defined within the release a the highest degree an FFA student can acquire, to apply for this degree, a student must demonstrate the most outstanding involvement within the chapter and provide records of their supervised SAE project, that of which should display their ability to plan, manage and finance with expertise. This degree is difficult to earn but worthy of the hard work. 

To receive this degree, one must:

• Have received a Greenhand FFA Degree, Chapter FFA Degree and State FFA Degree.
• Have been FFA members for at least three years.
• Have completed at least three years (540 hours) of high school agriculture classes, or 2 years of high school agriculture classes and one year of college agriculture classes (360 hours.)
• Have graduated from high school one year prior to the
• National FFA Convention at which their degree will be awarded.
• Have maintained detailed SAE records, which demonstrate outstanding planning, managerial and financial skills.
• Have earned and productively invested at least $7,500, or have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 and worked 2,250 hours beyond scheduled school hours through their SAEs.
• A student after entering agricultural education must have: (a.) Earn at least $10,000 and productively invested $7,500 or (b.) Have earned and productively invested at least $2,000 and worked 2,250 unpaid hours in excess of scheduled class time; Any combination of hours, times a factor of 3.56 plus actual dollars earned and productively invested must be equal to or greater than the number 10,000. Hours used for the purpose of producing earnings reported as productively invested income shall not be duplicated as hours of credit to meet the minimum requirements for the degree.
• Have a record of outstanding leadership skills. Have completed at least 50 hours of community service within at least three different community service activities. These hours are in addition to the paid or unpaid supervised agricultural experience hours.
• Have a record of outstanding leadership skills.
• Have a record of participating in community service activities. Updated Community Service Requirements: Have completed at least 50 hours of community service within at least three different community service activities. These hours are in addition to the paid or unpaid supervised agricultural experience hours.
• Have maintained a “C” grade average or better.

This year’s recipient is Emma Lemke.