Fantastic Fall! Get Ready for a Wild Winter!!

Hey Section 1! Hope you have enjoyed the first few months of this FFA school

year as much as I have as your State Officer! I believe I can say this has been one of the

best years for Wisconsin FFA up to this point and I hope you members feel the same

way! So far this year, we have had record attendance at Sectional Leadership Workshops,

three outstanding F.I.R.E. Conferences, great participation at World Dairy Expo events,

and numerous National Finalists in CDE’s, LDE’s and the Agriscience Fair at National

FFA Convention. And on top of all of that, I have had the chance to visit 17 Section 1

FFA Chapters so far and discover the amazing work going on in each chapter. And we

are just over two months into the school year!

As a state officer team, my teammates and I have had an absolute blast getting to

meet so many awesome FFA members throughout the events this fall. But even better

than meeting lots of FFA members has

been actually getting to know lots of mem-

bers through chapter visits! Every chapter

that I have visited so far has been very

welcoming and excited about FFA which

is great to see. I look forward to visiting

even more chapters in the weeks to come!

This year at National FFA Convention, Mark Poeschl, CEO of National FFA, spoke

about building off of the momentum that we have as an organization to create an even

brighter future for our organization. And after the Fall that we had as a state, I believe

the same message can apply to Wisconsin FFA. To all of you members that attended a

Sectional Leadership Workshop, participated in chapter visit activities, or made the trek

to National FFA Convention, thank you. Thank you for exploring just what is possible

through the FFA and for getting involved. But now is where I have a challenge for you.

In the months to come, I dare you to try an LDE that you never thought you could do. I

dare you to find a need in your community and be part of the solution. I dare you to start

or grow your SAE into a project that you can be proud of. And lastly, I dare you to Rise

Up and Stand Out as an Wisconsin FFA member. Will you accept the challenge? And

as always, please feel free to reach out at rerickson@wisconsinffa.org or (715)-205-8670

with any questions, concerns, or ways I can help you or your chapter this year!

W I S C O N S I N A S S O C I A T I O N O F F F A

November, 2019

Winter Newsletter

Northwoods Notes

In This Newsletter…

• Sectional Update

• National Convention

Highlights

• Meet Your National

Delegates

• 2019-2020 National

FFA Officer Team

• Chapter Visit Update

• Chapter Visit

Schedule

• Fall Reflections

• Looking Ahead to

Winter and Spring

• Upcoming Events

and Due Dates

Learning to Do

Doing to Learn

Earning to Live

Living to Serve

Pictured at Right:

Aliya North, Evelyn

Cody, Cole Pederson,

and Jaidyn Simmons

Page 2

Northwoods Notes

Convention Highlights!!

• Congratulations to the Amery FFA Dairy Cattle Evaluation Team for placing third at

National FFA Convention! The members of this team were Courtney Glenna, Hailey

Clausen, Katherine Elwood, and Ella Williamson. In addition to placing third as a

team, Courtney Glenna was the ninth place individual overall. Congratulations!!

• Section 1 of Wisconsin FFA is proud to be home to a Honorary American Degree recip-

ient this year. Mrs. Heidi Clausen of Amery earned this honor and was recognized on

stage at convention. Thank you for your unwavering support of Wisconsin FFA in so

many different ways over the years!

• Osceola FFA also represented Section 1 of Wisconsin FFA in a very positive way at Na-

tional Convention. Osceola’s Floriculture Team earned a Bronze rating for their efforts

in the National Floriculture CDE Contest. Great job!

• New Auburn FFA had five teams compete and two teams place in the top ten at the

National FFA Agriscience Fair in Indianapolis! Evelyn Cody and Aliya North placed

second in the nation in the area of Power, Structural and Technical Systems Division 2

and Cole Pederson and Jaidyn Simmons placed ninth in the area of Social Systems Divi-

sion 2. Awesome job guys! The remaining three teams from New Auburn all were Silver

Rated which was still an amazing accomplishment! Those members competing were

Katie Reimer and Abigail Sykora, Hadly Skaw and Autumn Palmer, and Caleb and

Wyatt Gotham. Way represent your state, chapter and school!

92nd National FFA

Convention Keynote

Speakers

Bob Goff

Michelle Poler

2019-2020 National

Officer Team!!

Kolesen McCoy

National President

Ohio FFA

Kourtney Lehman

National Secretary

Oregon FFA

Yomar Roman

Puerto Rico FFA

Mamie Hertel

Montana FFA

Tess Seibel

Virginia FFA

Lyle Logemann

New Mexico FFA

Page 3

Winter Newsletter

Convention Highlights Continued!!

• Jackie Rosenbush of the Spooner FFA Chapter did very well in a tough Employment

Skills Competition held at National Convention. Jackie was placed as a silver rated

individual in this event! Great work!

• Luck FFA was well represented at National FFA Convention with member Cassie

Johnson competing in the National FFA Talent Event! Way to go Cassie!

• Two Section 1 FFA Chapters, Spooner FFA and Prairie Farm FFA, were recognized as

Two Star Chapters at National FFA Convention this year. Keep up the great work

growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture!

American Degree Recipients 2019!

Nicole Dittbrenner — Luck FFA

Colton Jansen — Turtle Lake FFA

Alexis Kwak — Prairie Farm FFA

Abigail Solum — Rice Lake FFA

Tyler Vreeland—Turtle Lake FFA

Meet your 2019 National FFA Delegates! Back Row: Daniel Clark, Amara Livingston, Cortney Zimmerman,

Michelle Stangler, Ryan Erickson, Collin Weltzien and Jared Mack

Front Row: Lydia Williams, Emily Sheehan, Lindsey Augustine, Ben

Styer, Joe Schlies, Curtis Weltzien, and Grace Morrissey

Page 4

Northwoods Notes

Chapter Visit Update! Wow! Section 1 FFA Chapters, you never cease to amaze me! Every school and chapter that I have had the

privilege of visiting so far is doing amazing things for the future of Wisconsin FFA and the future of Agricul-

ture. From training horses in Amery, to researching solar technology in New Auburn, to teaching elementary

students about our woodlands and wetlands in Shell Lake, you guys are truly doing amazing things. Programs

and events like these play a vital role in the future of agriculture education and FFA. However, these pro-

grams are not the most valuable part of each chapter. The true value in a chapter come from the members

and what each member can bring to the table. That is what I have discovered through my chapter visits so far.

It is the members that make a Food For America program successful, not the curriculum. It is the members

that make the FFA stand out in our communities by truly living to serve. And it is the members that make a

State Officer feel welcome at their school by meeting him at the door or have meaningful conversations be-

tween classes. That is exactly what you guys have done for me over these past few months and I can’t thank

you enough for your amazing participation and excitement for FFA. Take a peek below to see where I have

visited as well as the chapters that I will be meeting in the weeks to come!

Completed Visits

Bruce, Cumberland,

Unity, Shell Lake,

Flambeau, Barron,

Amery, Luck, Bloomer,

Clayton, Clear Lake,

Cameron, Lake Hol-

combe, Northwestern,

Ashland, Turtle Lake,

New Auburn, Osceola

Upcoming Visits

Spooner—11/18

St. Croix Falls—11/19

Rice Lake—11/20

Cornell—11/21

Prairie Farm—11/22

Frederic—11/25

Above: Flambeau, Northwestern; Below: Cumberland

Page 5

Winter Newsletter

Where We’ve Been… As was mentioned on the first page of this newsletter, this has already been a record breaking year for event

attendance for Wisconsin FFA! Thank you for making those results possible and for getting active in FFA

events! Lets recap just what all we have accomplished so far. September 16th—The state officer team was given

the opportunity to tour two Section 1 agricultural businesses before putting on the Sectional Leadership Work-

shop. Thank you to NTH. Inc. and Synergy Coop. for making these tours possible and for your insight into

becoming future agriculturists! After the tours, the Section 1 SLW was held at Barron High School with 195

FFA members and advisors in attendance. Together we learned not only how to “Start Your Engine!” but also

how to keep our engines running throughout the year to come! October 1st—Hundreds of FFA Members

flooded the grounds of the 2019 World Dairy Expo to see lots of great cattle and equipment, compete in vari-

ous contests, and attend workshops held throughout the day. Thank you to those members that participated in

the state officer team’s SAE Workshop and congrats to those that placed in the contests! October 12th—245

FFA ascended on UW River Falls for one of the biggest FIRE Conferences ever! Together, we learned a lot

about the FFA and forming our own FFA Family. October 29th—Indianapolis Indiana became home to nearly

70,000 FFA members for a few days as FFA members were able to attend workshops, stroll through the career

fair, listen to great speakers, and compete in events all at National FFA Convention! November 11th—UW

River Fall held their annual Parli Pro Workshop on campus and helped nearly 50 FFA members polish up

their parliamentary procedure skills! Thanks for making this fall such a success and lets keep the ball rolling!

Tis’ the Season for Hot Chocolate, Snowmen, and FFA Applications!

...And What’s Up Next for Section 1! District Leadership

Development Events

Leadership Development Events (LDE’s)

are contests for FFA members to develop

speaking, listening, decision making and

communication skills. LDE options are…

- Parliamentary Procedure

Discussion Meet

Creed Speaking

Prepared Speaking

Extemporaneous Speaking

Employability Skills

Quiz Bowl

The dates for these contests will be...

District 1—Shell Lake—Feb 4th

District 2—St. Croix Falls—Jan 29th

District 3—Bruce—Jan 22nd

Sectionals—Barron—March 10th

Upcoming Conferences/Events!

Halftime Conference—Will be held at the Holiday Inn

in Stevens Point January 10-11. This conference will be

open to two members from each chapter as we find out how

to help our chapters finish the year strong!

FFA Farm Forum—This awesome conference that is

sponsored by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and is

held at the Hotel Mead in Wisconsin Rapids. This event is

open to any FFA members that are juniors in high school!

National FFA Week — February 22-29, 2019!! Note that National FFA Week is a week later than normal

this year. Stay posted to Wisconsin FFA Social Media

accounts for events to come throughout this week!

Note: All Resumes and Manuscripts are Due 2 Weeks Prior to the LDE Date

Upcoming Due Dates

December 2nd—Initial Membership Rosters

February 1st—Washington Leadership Conference

Scholarship Applications

February 5th—National FFA Scholarship Applications

February 7th—State Degree Applications

February 12th—State FFA Honors Band and Chorus

Applications

February 24th—State Proficiency Award Applications

March 5th—American Degree Applications

March 15th—State FFA Scholarship Applications

Why Apply?

FFA applications can be can be a daunting task to start

and to finish. At times, the length of application can

seem greater than the immediate reward. However,

before giving up, consider how Proficiencies and State

Degrees will look on your resume some day. Showing

dedication and accomplishments from an organization

like FFA could be the difference in a future job

interview. Start your applications today!

Need Help?

Feel free to contact me with any application questions

that you may have. Otherwise, consider attending…

District 1 Application Workshop—Ashland—11/19

District 3 Application Workshop—New Auburn—12/2

Page 6