Stoll places second in FFA Hay & Grain Show

     It’s only her second year in the Monticello High School FFA Chapter, and sophomore Lilly Stoll placed second in the Hay & Grain Show.

   The winners were announced During the FFA Fall Fest in early November.

   Hay & Grain Show entries were judged by Triangle Feeds and Hall Heritage Farms.

   There are 25 categories FFA members can enter. Some of those include: 5 Best Ears of Corn, Ugliest Corn, Haylage, Soybeans, Dried/Fresh Flower Arrangement, Photography, Deer Shed, etc.

   You can only enter up to 10 categories.

   Stoll entered five categories in the Hay & Grain Show her freshman year and did not place.

   “I didn’t know what it was all about,” she admitted. “So this year, I entered as many items as I could. The more you enter, the more points you can earn.”

   The 10 categories Stoll entered in included:

   • 5 Best Ears of Corn

   • Best Ear of Corn

   • Longest Ear of Field Corn

   • Most Kernels on an Ear of Field Corn

   • Shelled Corn (15 percent moisture of below)

   • Corn Silage

   • Haylage

   • Oats

   • Soybeans

   • Deer Shed (base diameter and length, non-mount)

   Stoll said she chose her categories based on what she had to work with at her dad’s farm in rural Cascade.

   “I used what we had on hand, hay, corn, and oats,” she said.

   When it came to the deer shed, Stoll simply explained that while working in the field one day, she came across a deer shed.

   “I figured it needed to be picked up anyway before it pops a tire.”

   For the Corn Silage category, Stoll said you needed to bring in the whole kernels versus silage that’s chopped up.

   “They want to see that it fermented well and that it smells good,” she added of the judging.

   The same is try for Oats; whole versus small pieces.

   Out of the 35 Monticello FFA members who entered something in the Hay & Grain Show, Stoll placed second.

   “It made me feel proud, but winning was not my goal,” she shared. “I did it for the fun of it, but it’s nice to win.”

   Also during the Fall Fest, Stoll earned her Chapter Degree. Last year, she received her Greenhand Degree.

   Stoll has been in 4-H, with the Scotch Grove Challengers, since she was in fourth grade. She’s still active in 4-H, along with FFA now.

   “I’ve heard my parents and grandparents talk about all the good things with FFA,” she said of her family’s history in the group.

   Stoll has enjoyed the various opportunities FFA has brought about, such as attending the National Convention last year in Indianapolis.

   She’s contemplating becoming an FFA officer either her junior or senior year of high school.

   Her involvement in agriculture extends beyond FFA and 4-H. Stoll stays busy on the farm “doing a little bit of everything.” She feeds calves and the cows if her dad’s busy with another job. During the winter, she makes sure the cattle have enough bedding and a nice, warm place to seek shelter from the elements.

   During harvest time, Stoll is in the field hauling crops or doing field work when needed.

   The Stolls raise dairy cows. They also grow corn, soybeans, hay, oats, wheat and rye.

   “We use the oats for cover crops and for feed for the cows, with the rye. The wheat, we use for bedding and sell the seeds.”

   After high school, Stoll is eyeing a future in farming, wanting to pursue a degree in either ag science or animal science.

   She has a few more years of showing livestock at the Great Jones County Fair. This coming summer, she has plans to exhibit cattle and pigs for FFA and her horse for 4-H. This would be her first year showing pigs.

   “I wanted to do it for the experience and to make more money at the auction,” she said.

   Stoll encourages high school students to look into getting involved in FFA.

   “It’s a great experience where you can try new things.”