FFA Member Profile

Tell us about your farm and family. My parents are Peter and Stacy Salzl. I have two brothers, Riley and Brantley, and one sister, Karlee. We milk 140 cows, that all have names, on a robotic dairy farm. We also raise dairy-beef cross steers along with a beef cow herd of 10. We grow all our own feed and corn and soybeans as cash crops.

Why did you join FFA? I joined FFA because my dad was in FFA, and he really encouraged me to do it.

What is your role in the chapter? As the secretary, I help plan the agenda for the meetings, and I record the minutes from the meetings. I also keep track of all the people attending the meeting.

What FFA contests do you compete in? I previously competed in dairy elevation, but last year, I started competing in horse elevation.

What do you look forward to most in the upcoming FFA year? I look forward to going to the state FFA convention, competing in horse evaluation.

How has FFA shaped you as a person? FFA shaped me into a better person today than I was before. I include more people and have learned how to be a leader from an FFA leadership camp. Today, I act as a leader, not a follower. I have become a more active FFA member, which also helped me become a better leader.

What are your duties on the farm? I help with the daily chores every evening consisting of feeding calves, feeding youngstock grower feed, helping get fetch cows and cleaning stalls. On the weekends, I help with morning chores and bedding all the cows and youngstock. My favorite cow on the farm is Billie. I also take care of my horse every day.

What are your future plans? I am not totally sure where I want to go to college, but I want to have my own farm and raise my own beef cattle and have a lot of horses.