THE VIRTUES OF LOOKING AT DIRT

Going into the State Career Development Event contests on Sunday, April 30, Holyoke FFA Chapter’s Land Evaluation team entered the arena in Fort Collins prepared, but not expecting to end the meet ranking first in the State of Colorado. After all, team member Trey Oakley said, the Lone Star FFA had managed to win in this category six years in a row.

“It’s crazy,” he said.

But with last-minute, in-person help from Soil Survey Leader Andy Steiner of the Fort Morgan Natural Resources Conservation Service and two soil pits in which to practice courtesy of retired Holyoke Ag Teacher Mike Miller, the local team managed to come out on top.

With 11 teams and 40 students at the contests, held April 30 to May 2, members of the Holyoke chapter had been preparing in their respective categories months in advance. In addition to the Land Evaluation team’s state win, Holyoke gained a silver team ranking in the Food Science category and a gold team ranking in Farm Business Management. 

Individually, members took home seven gold awards, three silver and four bronze. For the golds, Leah Struckmeyer of the Food Science team ranked 10th out of all competitors; Lucinda Mares of Livestock Evaluation fifth; and, in Land Evaluation, Caiden Krueger fourth and Mason Powell third. Then FFA President Ethan Schneller, who until the school year’s end also happened to be president of the Holyoke chapter of Future Business Leaders of America – and a “rock star,” according to FFA Adviser Shauna Strecker – took home the gold for “High Individual Overall” while competing in Farm Business Management.

“I’ve learned so much,” Schneller said. “I’ve met some great people who I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise and built relationships that will last a long time. And it’s just been really fun, a really fun thing.”

Armed with knives, binders, and a height-and-slope-measuring tool called a clinometer, the Land Evaluation team entered a five-to-six-foot pit in a field outside Colorado State University. To pull off the evaluation, Oakley and Powell explained, one must take into account everything from levels of nutrients in the soil when working with crops to the soil’s texture when evaluating a plot for housing or fencing. The competition, Powell noted, required the team to fill out an online soil survey regarding their pit’s internal structure.

“If there’s low nitrogen,” he said, “you’re going to have to give [a farmer] recommendations to put more nitrogen in the field.” 

Standing on a stage at Colorado State University, the team’s four members – Oakley, Powell, Krueger and Ben Kleve – awaited the final results. When the announcer stated Holyoke to be the winner, Kleve – who also took an individual gold – jumped as the other three celebrated together. At their left, FFA Advisor Strecker joined the group.

Strecker aided the team with her “hands-on” teaching style, Oakley said, bringing in Steinert and Miller, among others. Thinking for a moment, Powell cited her as the best aspect of FFA.

“She makes it fun,” he said. “[She’s] really nice and helps us out a lot.” 

Last year as a freshman, Powell said, he began searching for an FFA project as an activity with his friends. Strecker suggested he could succeed on the Land Evaluation team.

“So we started practicing,” he said, “and put time and effort into it.”

Allowing students to experience new opportunities and challenges, Strecker said, has proved to be her “very favorite thing” regarding FFA. Despite the FFA acronym’s original meaning – Future Farmers of America – the group allows students to develop skills in areas outside of traditional agriculture.

“There is definitely this stereotype that to be in FFA, you have to be from agriculture or know about agriculture,” Strecker said. “That’s been a goal of mine since I started is to just break down that [barrier] because there is so much more to agriculture than farming and ranching. I think everyone can truly find something in this organization regardless of background or interest, or what they want to do in their future.”

For the State FFA Convention, scheduled from June 7-9 in Pueblo, a Holyoke student is set to compete in extemporaneous speaking.

“He made it to the state contest by – in 30 minutes – choosing a topic and writing a three- to five-minute speech,” Strecker said, noting that “to think quickly on your feet” while defending a position would prove a valuable asset for students in their future endeavors. 

The Holyoke chapter also has a parliamentary procedure team scheduled; this “is an incredible skill,” she continued, for anyone looking to participate “on any sort of board or go into politics.”

Since Strecker began advising FFA seven years ago, the group has more than doubled in size from around 40 members to about 100. At her start and “barely 22,” she said, her “definition of success” was rooted in winning competitions; this perspective has evolved.

Addressing a crowd of students and parents the evening of Friday, May 5, at the 91st annual Holyoke FFA Chapter Banquet, she said, “[Awards and winning] are still things I find important, but my definition of what a successful ag teacher looks like is much different these days.”

“Here are a few of the less obvious successes I have experienced during this year,” she continued, speaking from the Holyoke JR/SR High School auditorium stage. “I have seen 25 students be excited to look at grass all day during range judging. I have seen a student earn a full-ride scholarship, largely because of the personal development he has acquired during his time in the FFA chapter. I have had students say, ‘I think I have decided I want to go into agriculture for my career.’ I have seen students encourage others when they were struggling. I have seen our officer team work cohesively for the betterment of the group.

“I could go on an on about the wonderful things I get to experience in this job on a daily basis. These are the things that have made this year a huge success.”

About seven months earlier, Schneller remembers standing amid thousands of fellow FFA members from across the country at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo. Looking around him, he noticed a sea of blue jackets, similar to his own.

“The blue jacket is like the symbol of FFA,” he said. “Seeing 60,000 people in a stadium wearing the blue jacket was kind of surreal and empowering... just how many people shared the same interests and are in the same organization as you.”

Those looking to join FFA, according to Schneller, “should do it, 100 percent.”

Moving into the State FFA Convention, Schneller – a senior at Holyoke JR/SR High – is set to help choose the next state FFA officer team as a member of the its nominating committee. In addition, fellow Holyoke senior Kai Siep – who took a gold medal with Schneller in Farm Business Management – has been chosen as a State Star finalist, one of four in Colorado. Siep will be interviewed at the convention to help decide the winner. 

For the installation of new elected officers on Friday, Katelyn Kropp received the position of president from Schneller; Carter Van Overbeke the position of vice president from Siep; Addie Goldenstein the position of secretary from Tamara Penzing; Mares the position of treasurer from Karlie Martin; Martin the position of reporter from Kropp; Nicole Schlachter the position of sentinel from Clover Adler; Struckmeyer the position of parliamentarian from Van Overbeke; and Cash Weber, Tyson Mosenteen and Wyatt Sprague the position of executive committee from Schlachter.