Area high schoolers were among the more than 3,000 FFA students, advisers and guests from across the state who attended the 85th Minnesota FFA Convention this past week at the University of Minnesota.

“Fuel Your Fire” was this year’s theme at the event, which not only recognizes outstanding students but also challenges others.

Throughout the three-day event, students have the opportunity to compete in 30 different career development events (CDE).

Westbrook-Walnut Grove rose to the top of the competition in two CDE categories – dairy foods and soils. The effort marks the first time in school history that two WWG teams collected state FFA titles. Pakou Vue was the top individual in the dairy foods competition, followed by teammate Zua Her, who was second overall. Shiney Her added a sixth-place individual place for the team, which also included Pahnia Vue and Seng Xiong. The state championship team advances to the 2014 National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky., in October.

The soils team of Morgan Dennistoun, Elizabeth Woelber, Mariah Olson and Abby Herding were also state FFA winners. Dennistoun was first as an individual, while Woelber was fifth.

Lincoln HI’s Emily Clarke also took first place at the state FFA Convention, winning the prepared public speaking competition and earning the right to advance to nationals in October.

“Emily had two rounds of speeches and was then named a finalist and gave her speech again,” LH FFA adviser Bill Delaney said. “She started at 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Her speech is on the effect of herbicides in the reduction of honey bees. The unique thing was that another gal in the finals gave somewhat of a similar speech.”

Selena Holzel earned a third-place individual finish in dairy foods, leading Wabasso to a second-place team finish. Other team members include Janessa Baune, Angie Poskewitz and Jennie Wotschke. Red Rock Central finished 22nd behind the team of Brooke Rasmussen, Tyra Missling, Hannah Sell and Taylor Willhite.

Yellow Medicine East’s Allison Carmany, Alexandra Miller, Kenzie Bruflat and Kolten Louwagie were 39th in dairy foods, while Russell-Tyler-Ruthton’s Katelyn Petersen, Brittney Thooft, Hannah Jensen and Alexis Nelson were 40th. Canby’s Kaitlyn DeVos, Leah Polejewski and Austin Polejewski placed 44th. Competing as an individual only, Wabasso’s Sam Klaers took fifth.

RRC also captured second place in soils, with Joel Derickson, Carter Engen, Thomas Blomgren and Andrew Hansen on the team. Asa Nelson, Ben Johnson, Emily Crumrine and Caleb Lasley helped Tracy Area to a ninth-place finish, while Wabasso’s Andrew Turbes, Jared Doyle, Alden Salfer and Josh Altermatt were 12th. Canby’s Nick Prokop, Josh Hansen, Zach Nuy and Luke Jelen placed 21st.

Area teams also did well in the meat category, with WWG’s Mitchell Jarmer, Matt Otto, Tyler Schoborg and Levi Bunting taking second. Lakeview’s Clay Newton, Hanna Wambeke, Seth Johnson and Cody Downing were fifth as a team, while RTR’s Mitchell Hurst, Adam Biren, Levi Hurst and William Peterson were eighth. Devan Liebl, Cassie Rogotzke, Jared Welch and Maria Turbes finished 13th for Wabasso in the 35-team competition.

In the agricultural mechanics competition, RTR’s Austin Swanson, Ty Thooft, Grant Barron and Mason Williams finished fourth. Tracy Area’s Jacob Kern, Taylor Thomas, Rick Jorgenson and Caleb Christian took 11th place, while Marshall’s David Fischer, Austin Kesteloot, Jordan Goblirsh and Tim Amick finished 12th.

Marshall’s Rachel Trost took fourth in the 2014 extemporaneous speaking category.

Destany Soupir and John Kerkaert teamed up to finish 38th in the best informed greenhand competition.

In crops, Wabasso’s Samantha Pohlen, Brian Swedzinski, Shayla Stage and Sarah Ludwig took seventh. RTR’s Brent Wiering, Jesse Jasper, Ross Johnson and Jedidiah Swanson took 11th, while WWG’s Andrew Pederson, Eli Gundermann, Brody Williams and Jack Jorgenson were 14th.

Donnie Schuelke, Justin Buysse, Garrett Moorse and Jack Buysse finished 9th for Minneota in the dairy cattle competition. Moorse was also sixth as an individual. Jacob Bengtson, Regan Davis, Demetrio Vadda and Bas Laros placed 25th for Tracy Area, while WWG’s Juliana Pederson, Jordaan Joel, Madeline Johnson and Emma Woelber were 31st. Lincoln HI’s Kristi Litterman, Brian Rybinski and Nathan Pavek took 48th place, while Wabasso’s Denver Stage, Kendra Jenniges, Tanner Ruprecht and Morgan Berg finished 49th in the 62-team category.

Pederson also took third place in the job interview competition for WWG.

In the dairy handlers competition, Lakeview’s Caitlin Louwagie was sixth. Morgyn Drietz added a 13th-place finish for Canby.

Marshall’s Sam Garvey tied for sixth place in the ag discussion competition. Marshall’s novice parliamentary procedure team finished fifth.

In farm management, Lindsey Moberg, Illana Peter, Michelle Kuhlman and Stephanie Kuhlman helped RTR to an 11th-place finish. Lincoln HI’s Logan Veire, Ryan Rybinski and Jeff Gladis finished 23rd, while Marshall’s Tegan Gruhot, Christian Sanders and Tori Arzdorf were 27th in the state competition.

RRC’s Derick Christians, Brakken Bierl, Payton Vold and Evan Blomgren took 15th place in the fish and wildlife category, while WWG’s Steven Yang, Bee Xiong, Kao Xiong and Kenji Hang were 21st. Jonnie Weets, Rusty Swanson, Spencer VanOverbeke and Cody Bernardy added a 31st-place finish for Marshall, while Alyssa Greenlee, Madalyn Heiling, Nicklaus Ludwig and Thomas Turbes were 39th for Wabasso.

In floriculture, Payton Determan, Sophire Horkey, McKenzie Deprez and Sami Hotzler collected a second-place finish for WWG. Melanie Roedl, Katiyanna Finzen and Rebecca Hankins were 10th as a team for RTR, while Canby’s Kendra VanDerostyne, Amanda Larsen, Alexis Bakalakos and Ashley Grengs were 19th. Wabasso’s Jenna Henriksen, Mika Jacobson and Lainy Rohlik finished 40th out of 46 teams.

In food science, Marshall finished 10th behind the effort of Michelle Deutz, Eli Welu, Emily Mortier and Christian Sanders. Lainy Rohlik, Sidney Pitzl, Mikayla Salfer and Emily Hoffman were 13th for Wabasso.

Wabasso also picked up a 28th-place finish in forestry. Morgan Frank, Dylan Kramer, Beau Taylor and Jamie Goblirsch made up the team.

Fifty-five team competed in the horse category. Mitch McCosh finished fifth as an individual to lead YME to a 21st-place finish with teammates Anna McCosh, Samantha Lecy and Ethan Beckler. Marshall’s Ruth Hoversten, Kenzie Gillow, Kendra Vroman and Kenzie Schultz were 27th.

Wabasso’s Haley Netzke, Paige Netzke, Christian Netzke and Tim Oldenburg took fifth place in the livestock competition, followed by RTR in 10th (JasiAnna Borman, Maria Weber, Sara Weber and Hallie Lingen), RRC in 12th (Libbey Warner, Carlie Jackson, Cole Jackson and Mikayla Hubin), Minneota in 14th (Troy Skaar, Dalla Moorse and Julie VanKeulen) and Canby in 19th (Brigit Lozinski, Richelle Kallhoff, Cole Regnier and Rebecca Kallhoff) in the 58-team category. Paige Netzke was also fifth overall as an individual.

In the nursery/landscape competition, Wabasso’s Chelsey Guetter, Mariah Dudgeon, Jennifer Rohlik and Callie Rohlik took 10th.

Area teams also left their mark in the poultry competition as RRC was second, behind the effort of Taylor Piotter, Ramsey Piotter, Austin Price and Dylan Piotter, who was also second overall as an individual. Zuag Paj Her, Kaylee Mischke, Tessa Busswitz and Cindy Lohre were fourth for WWG, while Myer VanEssen, Scott Lanoue, Anna Peterson and Cassandra Hook finished sixth for Tracy Area. Marshall’s Nick Schultz, Brenna Junker, Sam Prorok and Josh Leach came in 24th for Marshall, while Erin Liebl, Brenna Rubendahl, Rebecca Klann and Shannen Mahal were 25th for Wabasso.

Canby’s Kooper Cleveland, Mitchel Johansen, Michael Petersen and Haily Citrowske finished 35th in poultry for Canby, while Lincoln HI’s Alyssa Otto, Maranda Jerzak and Haley Przymus were 37th.

A total of 54 teams took part in the small animal competition. RTR’s Shelby Hauswadell, Mac Kenzie Buse, Janel Wichern and Amanda Petersen finished 11th. Shane Buchman, Callie Anderson, Tarynn Dallenbach and Megan DeSmith took 19th place for WWG, while Michelle Deutz, Marisa Konjura, Ashton Stahl and Rachel Landmark were 34th for Marshall. Wabasso’s McKenzie Fischer, Gina Goblirsch, Trisha Johnson and Gabby Welch came in 48th.

FFA chapters recognized for affiliate membership were: Academy for Sciences and Agriculture, Chatfield, Dassel-Cokato, Fairmont, Hutchinson, Maple River, Mountain Lake, New Ulm, Redwood Valley, St. Charles, Tracy Area and Upsala.

FFA chapters recognized for obtaining 85 percent membership and higher were: Browerville, Climax, Glenville-Emmons, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, LeRoy-Ostrander, Lincoln HI, Mabel-Canton, Madelia, Norman County West, Paynesville, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton and Sleepy Eye.

Proficiency Awards were earned by Cole Regnier (Canby, ag mechanics repair and maintenance placement), Scott Lanoue (Tracy Area, ag processing), Sam Klaers (Wabasso, ag sales placement), Eli Welu (Marshall, agri science research plant systems) and Nick Timmerman (Tracy Area, swine production placement).

Welu, who plans to attend South Dakota State University for agriscience in the fall, got his state degree and was a star in Agriscience proficiency. Marshall’s Christian Sanders and Alayna VanOverbeke also got state degrees.

“I got first in my proficiency and get to advance to nationals with that,” Welu said. “You basically take a job that you have in the ag field and fill out another application, putting down all the hours you worked, the money you made and how you spent that money. You basically have to prove that you did a lot of work. I did mine on my science fair projects the last four years.”

For his state degree – the highest award FFA can give out – Welu reported on his five ag jobs.

“You have to do all your proficiency areas, proving where all your money comes from,” Welu said. “I included my cows, chickens, lawn mowing, construction and agriscience projects. I had to prove I did all of those. It was a good experience.”