Monticello chapter wins awards, takes on projects

   Several awards and activities highlighted the past year for the Monticello FFA Chapter.

   It was another successful year for the chapter, with Delainy Fellinger earning her American Degree.

   Earning their Iowa FFA Degrees were Alyssa Wickman, Haili Schlarmann, Kinzi Schlarmann, Leah Koehler, Ava Capron, Reed Brunscheen, Will Wolken, Brennan Bohlken, Benjamin Zirkelbach, Tyler Soppe, Royce Kiburz, Keaton Hermsen, Baylor Holub, Tate Jesenovec, Logan Moestchen and Alex Prull.

   There were four members who participated at sub-district career events, including: Griffin Brokaw participated in Creed Speaking, receiving a silver rating; Kendall Siebels participating in Radio Broadcasting, receiving a gold rating; Claire Hogan participated in Job Interview, receiving a gold rating; and Porter Campbell took part in Extemporaneous Speaking, receiving a silver.

   Four members participated in District events in Waukon last spring. Collin Cashner and Gage Rickels participated in Greenhand Quiz and received a silver rating.  Kendall Seibels received a gold rating and went on to State contest, placing in the top five in Radio Broadcasting.

   At the State FFA Convention, Alyssa Wickman, Kinzi Schlarmann and Haili Schlarmann received a gold rating with our chapter activity display. Quinn Thomas, Lily Moestchen and Macy Dusanek participated in Marketing Plan and received a silver rating as well, as did the Ag BioTech team consisting of Rylan Bertling, Claire Hogan, Royce Kiburz and Collin Cashner.

   The farm business management team of Brennan Bohlken, Reed Brunscheen, Will Wolken and Alex Prull also received a silver rating. The Ag Sales team consisting of Lilly Stoll, Porter Campbell, Keegan McElmeel and Grant Gassman received a silver rating. Participating in Ag Mechanics was Antonio Lagunes.

   We also collaborated with the Midland and Cascade FFA chapters in hosting the third annual MMC Ag Experience Day, in which over 90 ag students from Monticello, Midland and Cascade were able to immerse themselves in a day of learning from industry professionals about the agricultural opportunities and careers that are available.

   The Monticello FFA Chapter and the Monticello NHS groups collaborate to continue to manage a garden to produce food that they donate to the Monticello Food Pantry to help those that are in need. Students worked to make this garden succeed during greenhouse class in and out of school times. Our FFA members show their support to our local farmers by coming in out of school hours, in the Spring and Fall to prepare and deliver meals to help show our support for all they do for not only us but everyone. We are also very fortunate to have a partnership with the city of Monticello, our students who take the greenhouse class come together and design flower pot arrangements which are then placed around town.

   This school year, the FFA Chapter and Ag Ed Program was provided a major learning opportunity when the Monticello School District purchased the adjacent farmland just to the south of the baseball / softball complex. Students had the opportunity to work with Nutrien Ag Services in developing a planting and fertilization plan for the 15-acre crop field. Through the support of several local farmers we were able to produce 802 bushels of no-till soybeans which averaged 53 bushels per acre. Proceeds from the sales of this project go toward chapter activities and service projects that the Monticello FFA Chapter performs, such as our Kindergarten “Friendsgiving” in which we spoke to them about where their Thanksgiving meal comes from, and then shared a meal with them that included turkey, ham, potatoes, green beans, corn and pumpkin pie.

   We also present a “Build a Burger” program to the fourth-grade students to show them how far many of the ingredients that they would use to make a cheeseburger would travel through our food system before the final consumer.

   Our Ag business class learned about marketing in depth and it then used that knowledge in a real life aspect that they can relate to the “farm” by studying the markets and developing a marketing plan for the grain that we produced.

 – Emily Leytem and

Lauren Brunscheen,

 Chapter reporters