Charles City FFA chapter does well at state conference

To The Press

Forty-two members of the Charles City FFA Chapter took part in the 95th Annual Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference held in Ames on the Iowa State University campus this past Monday and Tuesday.

While at the convention, members participated in various leadership development events, career development events, took part in workshops, were recognized on stage, networked with colleges and various companies in the career show, played in the Iowa FFA Band, and interacted with nearly 7,000 FFA members and guests from across the state of Iowa, said Bret Spurgin, Charles City High School FFA advisor and agricultural education teacher.

Here is a list of activities and results for the Charles City FFA Chapter from the convention:

• Chapter Display: Ava Molitor and Ty Hejna – Gold rating.

• Ag Issues & Perceptions: Olivia Litterer, Josette Benning, Maggie Boss, Madi Haus, Jada Litterer, Taylor Quade and Lauren Staudt – State Runner-up Gold rating.

• Chapter Program: Olivia Kreger, Payton Hadley and Emma Prichard – Bronze rating.

• Parliamentary Procedure: Brayden Ellis, Quinn Heidebrink, Anya Ruzicka, Nick Williams and Alex Wright – Silver rating.

• Prepared Public Speaking: Ameleah McKenna – Silver rating.

• Individual Ag Sales: Zach Chambers – Gold rating.

• Experience the Action: Shea Bell, Ty Hejna, Bennett Hansen, Zach Sonne, Bryce Walker, Vinny Benning, Joslyn Bormann, Avery Cooley, Brynn Roethler, Nyssa Salinas and Jackson Ruzicka – Bronze rating.

• Team Ag Sales: Maya Bruening, Zach Chambers, Delaney Ruzicka and Natalie White – Gold rating.

• Greenhand Quiz: Bennett Hansen and Ava Molitor – Gold rating.

• Marketing Plan: Xavier Scott, Braden Charlton and Aubrey Michael – Bronze rating.

• Poultry Evaluation: Colton Anderegg, Taylor Quade, Lukas Vance and Isabelle Vance – 3rd overall Gold rating.

• Also at the convention: Madison Haus and Josette Benning were members of the Iowa FFA Band, which has been a part of the Iowa FFA Convention since 1948.

Frascht wins a top state honor; Chambers among the state finalists

Brady Frascht, a 2022 Charles City High School graduate and Charles City FFA member, was named the 2023 Iowa FFA Star in Agricultural Production at the 95th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference on Tuesday in Ames.

The Star Awards recognize FFA members who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through their career development programs and demonstrated outstanding management skills, according to Bret Spurgin, Charles City High School FFA advisor and agricultural education teacher.

This award is based on an FFA member’s Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Program, community service, FFA involvement and academic achievement.

Frascht owns and manages a crop and livestock farm. His operation includes a 22-head cow/calf herd and he is involved in the family’s 500 head cattle feeding operation. He also raises and shows market hogs.

Frascht has purchased a 25-acre farm and he rents an additional 80 acres for corn and soybean production, as well as helping in the family’s crop operation.

Frascht plans to expand his SAE program in the near future by building another calving barn and purchasing and renting more farm ground, and he has recently made a large investment in his drone pesticide application business.

Zach Chambers, a current Charles City High School student and FFA president, was one of the six finalists for the Iowa FFA Star in Agricultural Placement. He is employed by Chambers Finishers and cares for swine that will be sold and processed as pork.

He has devoted and invested more than 2,111 hours into his placement program which includes two wean-to-finish facilities and caring for more than 10,000 pigs per year.

Chambers’ responsibilities and daily chores include checking the health of pigs, monitoring water consumption, controlling the climate, vaccinating, feed ordering and keeping accurate records. He plans on working in the production agriculture industry in the future.

“My SAE experiences have helped me meet both skill development and financial goals,” Chambers said. He said he has gained skill areas in employability skills, handling livestock and communicating with professionals.

He is currently serving as FFA chapter president and has participated in many career development events the past four years including ag sales, ag issues and agronomy. He is the son of Mark and Anne Chambers.

Charles City FFA members earn Iowa FFA degrees

Seven members of the Charles City FFA were bestowed with the Iowa FFA Degree during the 4th General Session of the Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference on Tuesday, April 18, in Ames. The Iowa FFA Degree is the highest degree conferred on student members by the Iowa FFA Association.

This year’s Charles City recipients are Maya Bruening, Zach Chambers, Brady Frascht, Olivia Litterer, Lilly Luft, Delaney Ruzicka and Natalie White.

FFA members who qualify have met minimum involvement requirements in all components of the three-circle model: Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), FFA, and Classroom/Laboratory, said Bret Spurgin, Charles City High school FFA advisor and agricultural education teacher.

The Iowa FFA Degree is earned by fewer than 5% of FFA members statewide. Among other qualifications, the applicant must:

• Have received the Chapter FFA Degree.

• Have satisfactorily completed the equivalent of at least two years (360 hours) of systematic school instruction in agricultural education above the ninth-grade level.

• Have a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program that earned and invested a combination of dollars and hours that are the equivalent value of $1,500 and/or 375 hours in excess of scheduled class time.

• Have a record of outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement as well as a proficient scholastic record while in high school.

• Have participated in at least 25 hours of community service, within at least two different community service activities.

Luft named a state proficiency winner

Landon Luft, a 2022 graduate of Charles City High School and Charles City FFA member, was recognized as the State Proficiency Winner in the area of Agricultural Mechanics Repair & Maintenance – Placement, at the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference held this week.

Luft is employed at Swartzrock Implement and does a variety of tasks at work, including ground maintenance, assembly, servicing and repair.

His award has now been advanced with other states’ winners to the national level, where they are evaluated by the National FFA Organization with the results being announced in August.

Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs, have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers.

Students with at least one full calendar year of SAE records, but not older than first year of membership after high school graduation, are eligible to compete. Students can compete for awards in more than 40 areas including agricultural communications, diversified agriculture, nursery operations and wildlife management.

Recognition of the top two members in each respective area occurs as part of the Iowa FFA Leadership Conference each April. As part of the National FFA Proficiency Awards program, applications are submitted for judging and the top four national finalists are announced.

The national finalists participate and interview at the National FFA Convention & Expo where the finalists are recognized on stage and an overall winner is announced.

Ag Issues and Perceptions team brings home state runner-up title

The Charles City FFA Agricultural Issues & Perceptions brought home a state runner-up performance from the 95th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference on Monday afternoon.

The Agricultural Issues and Perceptions Leadership Development is a team event that requires FFA chapters to have a firm understanding of how issues in agriculture develop, said Bret Spurgin, Charles City High School FFA advisor and agricultural education instructor.

Participants were challenged to develop a portfolio and deliver a presentation that stressed both the pros and cons of the issue. Verbal skills and presentation abilities were used to defend their issue through a series of questions.

The seven member team, which consisted of senior Olivia Litterer and juniors Josette Benning, Maggie Boss, Madison Haus, Jada Litterer, Taylor Quade and Lauren Staudt, made a presentation on the Iowa Local Food For Schools Grant, which the Charles City School District received for the 2022-2023 school year.

Members discussed the merits of the program and how it is beneficial to the local school district and FFA members, who are raising meat and produce to be used in the school. On the opposing side, members discussed how other local producers could benefit from the program and open transparency from both sides.

Iowa Lawmakers passed Farm to School legislation in 2007 to establish a program that would:

• Link elementary, secondary, public and non-public schools with Iowa farmers.
• Provide schools with fresh and minimally processed Iowa-grown food for school meals and snacks.
• Encourage children to develop healthy eating habits and provide them with hands-on learning activities.

The Farm to School Program is coordinated by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education.

Charles City FFA Poultry Evaluation team with a Top 3 finish; Quade and Vance place Top 10

The Charles City FFA Poultry Evaluation team competed at the 95th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference and placed third overall out of 140 teams on Tuesday in Ames at the Hansen Center on the Iowa State University campus.

Team members are juniors Colton Anderegg, Taylor Quade and Lukas Vance, and sophomore Isabelle Vance.

Individually, both Quade and Vance placed with the Top 10 out of 526 individual competitors, with Quade finishing fifth overall and Vance Finishing ninth overall.

The Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event encourages learning through activities related to the production and management, processing, marketing and food safety and quality of poultry products. In the event FFA members take an exam over poultry management, evaluate and place live bird classes, grade shell eggs on their quality, and inspect ready-to-cook poultry and further processed poultry as if they were a USDA federal meat Inspector.

To go along with the Top 3 finish, other Charles City team results were:

• 1st overall team in Shelled Eggs Evaluation.
• 2nd overall team in Live Poultry evaluation.
• 6th overall team in the Poultry Management Exam.
• 12th overall team in Further Processed Poultry Evaluation.
• 17th overall team in Ready to Cook Poultry Evaluation.

Individual results (out of 526 entrants):

• Taylor Quade – 5th overall, 5th in Live Poultry Evaluation.
• Lukas Vance – 9th overall, 2nd in Shelled Eggs Evaluation.
• Colton Anderegg – 29th overall.
• Isabelle Vance – 36th overall.