American FFA Degree dairy recipients

Why did you want to obtain your American FFA Degree? Poppler: FFA has been a major influence in my life, and earning the American FFA Degree was the perfect way to showcase all that I have accomplished in the organization. FFA has provided countless opportunities for me to grow not only in my leadership abilities but also as a person and professional. This degree represents my commitment to those experiences and the skills I have gained.

Schefers: I already have my Minnesota FFA Degree, which I needed before earning my American FFA Degree. I’m proud of my accomplishments and contribution to FFA. The American FFA Degree is the highest degree that an FFA member can receive, and not many members have it. I’m the first in my family to receive it.

Sellner: I wanted to receive my American FFA Degree because not many FFA members get this honor. Only 1% of FFA members get it and I want to be in the 1%. Also, no one in my family has their American FFA Degree and I wanted to be the first to get one.

Thorson: Along my journey in FFA, I realized that it was an opportunity to close one door that leads to another. Obtaining my American FFA Degree was closing the door of being in the blue corduroy jacket. Yet, the experience and leadership that I gained from my high school and college efforts opened a new door to pursuing my supervised agricultural experience on a professional level.

Wright: Being in the 1% of members to achieve their American FFA Degree and receiving it Oct. 26 means the world to me. My dream of receiving this degree started when I learned about all of the achievements you can strive for in FFA in my ag classes. It quickly became a goal of mine to receive the American FFA Degree. Two years ago, I watched my sister, Allison, receive hers, and seeing this made my dream of earning it matter even more. Completing my goal was the best way I could have ended my FFA career, and I know I made my past self proud. Although my life in the blue jacket is complete, my life of advocating for agriculture is not. I plan to have a career as an agriculture teacher to help other students complete their goals in FFA.

What was your reaction when you found out you received it, and who did you tell first? Poppler: I was thrilled. Receiving such a prestigious recognition that less than 1% of members achieve was an incredible honor. I immediately told my advisors and family, as they have been by my side, encouraging and supporting me throughout my entire FFA journey.

Schefers: I was happy to receive my American FFA Degree and proud of all my accomplishments to receive it. The first people I told were my family and friends who also received their American Degrees. I couldn’t have done it without their help.

Sellner: When I found out I received my American FFA Degree I remember feeling shocked and really proud of myself. I remember bursting into tears because I just remember little me wanted this so badly, and honestly it was the best feeling getting the news because I showed myself that if I dream it, I can do it. The first person I told about receiving my degree was my parents because without them I wouldn’t be the person I am today. My parents have taught me everything I know and they also have pushed me to succeed. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

Thorson: Ecstatic. The joy, relief and excitement of walking across the stage and accomplishing my goal was an incredible feeling. Right after I found out, I called my parents, specifically my mom, because they have been my biggest supporters while also pushing me to achieve the goals I never thought I was capable of.

Wright: Finding out I was on the list of recipients for the American FFA Degree was an incredible moment. It was Friday morning at our county fair, and the list was posted just as I finished getting my livestock in place. My mom was the one who pointed out that the list was up, so we looked at it together. I was trying to stay calm, worried that I might not see my name, but when I glanced at the list from Minnesota and saw not only my name but also all of my friends’ names, I couldn’t stop smiling. As the rest of my family trickled into the fair after completing chores at home, I shared the good news with them. My FFA advisors and the advisor from the Glencoe FFA Chapter were also in the barn for the FFA children’s barnyard, so I told them the great news, too. Having my family and ag teachers be the first to know and celebrate with me meant so much as I couldn’t have received my American FFA Degree without their support and positive impact in my life.

What was your Supervised Agricultural Experience? Poppler: My SAE focused on vegetable production. I worked in our FFA chapter’s Community Supported Agriculture garden, managing it for two years. We served over 35 community members each summer and fall with a variety of fresh produce. Additionally, I worked at a local greenhouse, where I gained hands-on experience in wholesale and retail, helping customers choose plants and making recommendations.

Schefers: I worked at Fleet Farm in the yard department for my job in college during my freshman and sophomore years. My responsibilities included organizing and moving various supplies, assisting customers with loading their purchases, ensuring the yard remained clean and accessible and doing yearly inventory. One of the key skills I developed was operating a forklift, which I used to move larger items such as pallets of feed, fencing materials and other heavy products. This job required attention to safety, effective communication with my coworkers and customers and the ability to work efficiently under pressure, especially during busy periods.

Sellner: My SAE was working on my family’s robotic dairy farm for dairy production placement.

Thorson: My SAE was dairy production placement. Essentially, I worked on my family’s dairy farm while showing records of personal improvements while I was there. These improvements ranged from personal growth, like how to effectively work with employees to obtain different strengths, and to gain practical skills, like how to properly care for an animal that is sick using protocol that follows the industry and consumers’ expectations.

Wright: My SAE was in diversified livestock production with all of the different species we have on our farm. These species included our breeding beef, dairy cows, rabbits, turkeys, show pigs and meat ducks. I tracked things such as the care I gave them, how many hours I spent with them, finances, etc. Having this SAE helped me grow in many skills such as record keeping, responsibility, finances and time management.

What are your future plans? Poppler: I am excited to pursue a career in agricultural marketing and communications. Through various internships, I’ve enjoyed developing a wide range of skills, from social media management and advertising to design, website development and company branding. This field lets me blend creativity with my passion for agriculture.

Schefers: I plan to graduate college with an agriculture education major and dairy science minor. I would like to get a teaching job as an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor and teach agriculture and shop classes. Someday, I would like to get more involved with the family dairy farm and implement new ideas and advancements that I learned with my dairy science minor and what I learned from working with dairy at my current job at Mann Valley Farm at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Sellner: My passion is educating others on the importance of agriculture, which has led me to major in agriculture education with a minor in animal science. Upon college graduation, I want to be an ag teacher where I can teach youth of all ages that our community has a place for everyone. Whether you grew up on a farm or in town, everyone has a place in agriculture.

Thorson: After I graduate college, my career goal is to return to my family’s sixth-generation dairy farm to own and operate it with my parents. My personal goal is to be a reliable source of information for people to reference so I can make an overall positive impact on the dairy industry.

Wright: After graduating, I hope to become a high school agriculture teacher. This has been a longtime dream of mine as it allows me to connect with students through agriculture. In this role, I aim to expand students’ knowledge in agriculture, serve as an FFA advisor and help foster youth’s connection to agriculture. As a strong advocate for hands-on learning, I plan to own a small farming operation with various livestock species, crops and machinery for youth in the community to gain hands-on agricultural experience. I hope this will help them discover a passion for agriculture or, at the very least, learn where their food comes from.

Tell us about your farm. Poppler: I grew up on Poppler Dairy, our family dairy farm in Waverly, Minnesota, where we milk around 650 cows. Helping out on the farm from a young age sparked my passion for agriculture.

Schefers: It is a first-generation dairy farm. My family milks a herd of 200 cows that has grown from an original herd of 40. The herd mainly consists of Red & White Holsteins, Holsteins, Brown Swiss and Holstein-Swiss crossbreds. My dad, Drew, and my stepmom, Renee, milk the cows in a double-6 herringbone parlor, and I help when I am home from college.

Sellner: On our farm we have about 200 head of cattle for our robotic herd between Sleepy Eye and New Ulm in Brown County. It has been in our family for five generations, being homesteaded in 1858 by my great-great-great grandpa, Zander. This is the home farm of my grandma, Grace Sellner, who married the hired hand, my grandpa, Wendelin Sellner. Our farm used to be a stanchion milking system until 2000, when my father, Loran Sellner, installed our milking parlor. We had this system all of my childhood until 2016 when my parents decided to go robotic. These robots have been a great asset to the farm. The cows are more comfortable in the barns because they can get milked as many times as they would like and whenever they want. It also allows us to get other tasks on the farm done more efficiently.

Thorson: My family’s farm is located in Waverly, Minnesota, where we milk 250 cows and raise all our youngstock on-site. We also grow all our crops, corn and alfalfa on 900 acres of land that is either rented or owned. Our farm was originally homesteaded in 1874, making this year our sesquicentennial anniversary. Through the 150 years, we have updated buildings and practices while still providing consumers with a healthy, affordable and sustainable product.

Wright: I grew up as the fourth generation of my family’s dairy and crop farm, which we have now diversified by adding a hay and straw business, beef production, an aronia berry orchard and a farm store. Although I am in college, you can still find me helping on the farm in my free time by feeding calves, milking cows and doing various other farm chores. I am grateful to have grown up on a family-owned and operated farm because all of my siblings and I grew up learning about all aspects of the farm.