Abby FFA active at local, state, national levels
The members of the Abbotsford FFA chapter have been involved in many activities over the past year, participating in local, state and national events.
Currently, the membership includes 55 students in grades seven through 12. A person can be a member of the FFA organization from seventh grade through the age of 20.
Over 250 high schools in Wisconsin offer agriculture classes to students as well as allow membership in the FFA.
In August, two Abby FFA members attended the Wisconsin Valley Fair and the Athens Fair, where they displayed their animals and other projects. Abby Hovland showed her dairy animals at the Wisconsin Valley Fair and Athens Fair, and Khloe Frahmann also exhibited her dairy heifer at the Athens Fair.
The 92nd Annual National FFA Convention was held in Indianapolis, from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2. Four Abbotsford FFA members attended, including Jesse Kulesa, Melissa Mulderink, Mariacruz Ochoa, Jack Schindler and FFA advisor, John Slipek.
The Abbotsford students traveled on Krug’s Bus Company with students from Athens, Medford and Mosinee.
The FFA fruit sale was held during the months of November and December, and the fruit and peanut items were sold and delivered the week of Dec. 5.
A total of 38 FFA members participated in the fruit sale, with the top salesman earning a trip to the Twin Cities in February. The items sold were purchased from four different companies located throughout the United States.
The top salesmen were Mya and Kaya Ruesch, Elena Kind, Javier Rocha and Alyssa Beran.
The FFA test plot was harvested the last week of October, and an excellent yield of high moisture crops was harvested from the 17 acres of school district owned land. Corn and soybeans are rotated on the field each year, and data from the plot is studied in class by students taking agriculture courses.
Profits made on sales of the crops are used to support FFA activities throughout the year.
A trip for the FFA members took place on Saturday, Jan. 25, to Minneapolis-St. Paul, where students went to the Mall of America, took in a meal at the Old Country Buffet, and attended a professional rodeo at the Xcel Energy Center. Fifty-three students and FFA advisors from the Abbotsford and Marathon FFA chapters traveled with Krug’s Bus Service from Medford to make the trip possible.
Students in grades 7-12 at Abbotsford High School are encouraged to become members of the FFA, and also take agriculture classes, including horticulture, welding, animal science, agri-science, natural resources and agriculture mechanics.
As FFA members, students can compete in judging events, attend FFA activities at the state and national level, exhibit projects at fairs, develop leadership skills, meet new friends, participate in fundraising, learn about agriculture careers, develop a supervised occupational experience program, study agricultural topics and earn scholarships for college after high school.
