Champions named in South Dakota State FFA Leadership Development Events

DECEMBER 11, 2023:

On December 4, 2023, nearly 600 FFA members from across South Dakota met in Rapid City for the State FFA Leadership Development Events (LDEs). Students qualified through district competitions, advancing the top two teams and top three individuals from each of the eight FFA districts in South Dakota. While waiting for competitive events, students had the opportunity to interact with agriculture industry leaders, who are SD FFA Star Partners, at the Career Carnival. Additionally, state officers from the Montana FFA Association presented workshops on leadership development and identifying leadership qualities for the members to participate in. FFA members and chapters were recognized for their success in 11 leadership areas at the awards presentation.

Employment Interview Skills challenges FFA members to complete a job application, write a letter of application and resume, participate in an actual interview and compose a follow-up letter. The results were:

1. Grace Lindeman, Parkston
2. Tanner Eide, Gettysburg
3. Elliot Hendrix, Rapid City
4. Hope Baysinger, Mitchell
5. Lacie Weber, Oldham-Ramona-Rutland
6. Megan Wiese, Milbank
7. Sydney Lockhart, Hot Springs
8. Tristen Petrik, Platte-Geddes

Ag Sales team members work together to develop a strategy for selling pre-determined products to specific customer scenarios. Participants also practice their individual sales skills by selling an agricultural product to a customer. The team results were:

1. Tri-Valley: Colby Carruthers, Corie Wicks, Ryken Hieronimus, Tyler Groenewold, and Espn Althoff
2. Tea Area
3. McCook Central
4. Lyman
5. Sioux Falls CTE Academy

Ag Sales top individual sellers were also selected from each presentation room. The top individual sellers were:

Room 1: Owen Alley, McCook Central

Room 2: Colby Harrell, Miller

Room 3: Jack Daggett, Tea Area

Room 4: Aiden Gruppe, Watertown

The Conduct of Chapter Meetings event is designed for high school freshmen to present a mock FFA meeting. The team results are as follows:

1. McCook Central: Front Row: Ella Deknikker, Brooke Heumiller, Taylor Thrift, and Julianne Grady. Back Row: Gavin Kipp, Parker Randall, William Dyen, Tucker Peterson, and Luke Horstman
2. Harrisburg
3. Sioux Valley
4. Hot Springs
5. Belle Fourche

Creed Speaking participants recite the FFA Creed and answer questions posed by the judges. The results were:

1. Noah McGee, Freeman
2. Emma Caulfield, Florence
3. Coltyn Raymond, Ethan
4. Natalie Yates, Newell
5. Karley Luke, Marion
6. Alexis Roesler, Wessington Springs
7. Allie Hoekeman, Northwestern Area
8. Sienna Leheska, Kimball

In Marketing Plan, teams of students determine a local community need and create a complete strategy for marketing a new agricultural product or company to fill that need. The team results are as follows:

1. McCook Central: Maddy Lauck, Joe Grady, and Lauren Roling
2. Hot Springs
3. Doland
4. West Central
5. Howard

In Ag Issues, a team of 3-7 students discuss the pros and cons of a major agricultural issue facing their area. The team results are as follows:

1. Beresford:  Ethan Hauch, Joseph Anderson, Robert Watkins, Halle Livingston, Kayla Jensee, Kylie Mockler, and Carley Crist
2. Parker
3. Bridgewater-Emery
4. West Central
5. Sturgis

In Ag Broadcasting/Journalism, students have 30 minutes to prepare a five-minute agricultural radio newscast and then “air” it. Results were:

1. Alexandria Madsen, Kadoka
2. Gavin Mattson, Deuel
3. Elle Goehring, Parkston
4. Cash Voegele, Parker
5. Josie Nold, Brookings
6. James Bame, Madison Central
7. Caroline Witte, Wessington Springs
8. Jordan VanDeStroet, Canton

Courtesy photo.

In Ag Communications, teams will play the role of communications consultants and will develop a media plan for an assigned scenario. The scenario will identify a client with communications need and a budget. The team results are as follows:

1. Gregory County: Ava Kerner, Aubree Miller, Ella Sperl, and Avery Zeisler
2. McCook Central
3. West Central
4. Belle Fourche
5. Parker

Courtesy photo.

Parliamentary Procedure teams, consisting of six members per team, demonstrate an FFA business meeting. The sponsor is South Dakota Farmers Union. The travel scholarship is sponsored by South Dakota Farmers Union, Monte and Ruth Mason, Brett and Tracy Kaltvedt, Jordan and Ashley Wiesen and the Dan and Nicole Tonak family. The team results are as follows:

1. Willow Lake: Shay Michalski, Samantha Brenden, Emma Peterson, Ginny Warkethien, Nora Terhark, Andrew Peterson, and Advisor Dan Tonak.
2. Belle Fourche
3. McCook Central
4. Lennox-Sundstrom
5. Harrisburg

The All-State Parliamentary Procedure Team is comprised of the top individual officer from each position in the Parliamentary Procedure CDE. These competitors are the best-of-the-best in their respective position. These awards are sponsored by Skinner Financial Services. Those selected are:

Chair:

Kathryn Loewe, Lennox-Sundstrom

Members At-Large:

Wyatt Lesmeister, Belle Fourche

Emma Peterson, Willow Lake

Raif Parmeter, Belle Fourche

Tyler Strasser, Lennox-Sundstrom

Jazlyn Olson, Belle Fourche

In Prepared Public Speaking, each contestant presents a 6–8-minute agriculture-oriented speech and answers five minutes of related questions. The results were:

1. Laney Andrews, Beresford
2. Vivian Johnson, Madison Central
3. Lexi Nichols, West Central
4. Madelyn Caulfield, Florence
5. Josie Nold, Brookings
6. Julia Tinker, Brandon Valley
7. Remington Jacobson, Tea Area
8. Laramie Nutter, Wall

In Extemporaneous Public Speaking, an unrehearsed 4–6-minute speech is written and presented onsite. Each contestant is allowed only 30 minutes to prepare. Results were as follows:

1. Lainee Forst, Mitchell
2. Briella Wettlaufer, Howard
3. Emily Knodel, Freeman
4. Cheznie Anderson, Watertown Area
5. Gage Anderson, Lemmon
6. Ashlyn Roudabush, Mitchell
7. Olivia Witing, Watertown Area
8. Carter Ross, Parker

The South Dakota FFA consists of 111 FFA chapters with over 6,000 FFA members.  The SD FFA Leadership Development Events are a special project of the SD FFA Foundation.  FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.  Visit http://www.sdffafoundation.org/ for more information, and/or follow us on Facebook (South Dakota FFA Foundation and South Dakota FFA Association).

DECEMBER 4, 2023:

Around 700 FFA members and chapter advisors from across South Dakota attended in this year’s State Leadership Development Events held Sunday and Monday (Dec. 3-4, 2023) in Rapid City.

State FFA Foundation Executive Director Gerri Eide says South Dakota is seeing growth in its FFA membership.

Eide says FFA members competed in almost a dozen different contests.

Hitchcock-Tulare junior Lainee Humphrey competed in the Ag Broadcasting competition.

Lyman FFA junior Wiley Elwood also competed in the Ag Broadcasting competition.

Gettysburg FFA senior Alexis Genzler says her Ag Issues team looked into the “right to repair” issue.

Langford FFA freshman Brynn Samson took part in the Employment Skills Leadership Development Event.

South Dakota’s FFA membership has grown so much that the organization created an eighth district. Lemmon High School junior Gage Anderson was elected to be the first ever President of that district.

Winners of some of these events earn the right to compete at the National FFA Convention next fall in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The State FFA Leadership Development events had been held in Pierre for many years, but moved to Rapid City because they needed a larger venue.