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Growing Leaders. Building Communities. Creating Career Connections.

June 2022

TRUE BLUE NEBRASKA NEWS

Blue Corduroy Jackets Take on Lincoln Lincoln welcomed the sea of blue jackets once again this April for the 94th Nebraska FFA State Convention. The convention was held on April 6, 7 and 8 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, surrounding hotels and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus with over 6,000 FFA members present. During convention, students are participating in leadership development events, career development events, workshops, industry tours and a meal packaging service-learning opportunity. Another highlight of convention is the announcement of the 2022 Nebraska FFA State Stars. These students have worked hard on their supervised agricultural experience (SAE) to learn hands-on career skills. They went through a rigorous application and interview process to be selected for this award. To learn more about their SAE, watch the sixth general session of convention. This year’s winners are: Star in Agribusiness – Levi Schiller, West Point FFA Star in Agricultural Placement – Andrew Stukenholtz, Nebraska City FFA Star in Agricultural Production – Blake Sindelar, Howells-Dodge FFA The final session is when the 2022-23 Nebraska FFA State Officers were announced. These seven individuals are: President: Alexis Bodlak – Pender FFA Chapter

State Vice President: Faith Miller – Mullen FFA Chapter

State Secretary: Emelia Rourke – Waverly FFA Chapter

State Vice President: Elizabeth Wilkins – Ainsworth FFA Chapter

State Vice President: Dustin Andreason – Boone Central FFA Chapter

State Vice President: Grace Timm – Creek Valley FFA Chapter

State Vice President: Jaylea Pope – Shelton FFA Chapter The event took a lot of volunteers and preparation from students, teachers and staff. The full results are available at www.neaged.org.

1 Congratulations to all students and teachers, and thank you to all volunteers for making this a successful convention.

NEBRASKA FFA FOUNDATION PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE This past year, FFA activities across Nebraska seemed a little sweeter than usual. After a couple years of curveballs with virtual competitions and conferences, FFA in Nebraska is stronger than ever. With all-time highs in both student members and chapters, it’s a great time to be involved with FFA and the future of agriculture. And that’s why I choose to serve as a volunteer board member for the Nebraska FFA Foundation. This year’s state convention was the first in-person since 2019. That means that the seniors attending were freshmen the last time they had the opportunity to experience convention in Lincoln. It was fun seeing so many members motivated to compete at the state level and in awe of the lights and sounds of a packed convention arena. I vividly remember attending state convention as a member of the Kimball FFA Chapter and cherish the friendships made and lessons learned. On behalf of the Nebraska FFA Foundation, I want to offer a sincere appreciation for everyone who gives of their time, resources, and energy to support FFA. Experiences in the blue corduroy are preparing members for a lifetime of success in careers and leadership. If there happen to be any FFA members reading this, I want you to know how many people care about your future and want to support you. Be sure to say thank you to teachers, FFA advisors, parents, guardians, sponsors, staff, and volunteers who make opportunities in FFA possible. And when the time is right, consider paying it forward by giving back to the organization through volunteering and donating. I am incredibly proud of FFA members and the impact that the blue and gold is making. I have no doubt that the future is bright with FFA members leading the way. Thank you to the sponsors of the Nebraska FFA Foundation who invest in that future. Sincerely, Kyle Perry President, Nebraska FFA Foundation Nebraska FFA Foundation Premier Sponsors ($25,000 or more)

University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources & Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication

I BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE OF AG

Community Support Helps Pleasanton Excel in First Year as Chapter The Pleasanton FFA chapter is in its first year as a chapter, and they are taking part in every opportunity available to benefit their chapter including the Nebraska FFA Foundation I Believe in the Future of Ag campaign and Chapter Grant Program.

of the agriculture program and this addition to the curriculum would help fulfill those,” said Heath Ahrens, Pleasanton agriculture teacher. “Having support from not only our community, but from the Nebraska FFA Foundation has been incredible as we work towards these goals and provide students an opportunity that has never been in front of them before. It has created excitement in the school and community,” said Ahrens.

Pleasanton FFA chose to participate in the I Believe in the Future of Ag campaign because it allows the chapter to receive donations with a pre-set up form and materials. Donors to the I Believe in the Future of Ag campaign choose which chapter they support. One hundred percent of each local donation will be sent back to the chapter at the end of the campaign and a portion of the $35,000 corporate matching funds will be distributed proportionately between the chapters that participate. The chapter had goals to include when asking local donors for donations including using the donations for a 24’ x 36’ greenhouse. They have also used the donations to attend leadership activities.

You can support chapters like Pleasanton by donating through the I Believe in the Future of Ag campaign or to the Nebraska FFA Foundation general fund to support grants. Donations are accepted at neffafoundation.org.

Pleasanton agricultural classroom was also a recipient of the Nebraska FFA Foundation Grant this year to purchase curriculum to use in the new agricultural classroom. In their grant application, they stated that curriculum development was the first goal for the chapter because it is necessary to have the right resources available to teach the students about topics they may have never heard about before taking this class. “Feeding the population and filling the job opportunities in the agriculture field is a goal

THANK YOU CORPORATE I BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE OF AG SPONSORS:

Aurora Cooperative BigIron Auctions Central Valley Ag Chief Industries CPI

Bayer CropScience CoBank County Partners Cooperative DEKALB

Farm Credit Services of America Farmers Cooperative Frontier Cooperative LivestockMarket.com

Nebraska Farm Bureau Pinnacle Bank Producers Livestock Valley Irrigation

GRANT PROGRAM

Grant Opportunities for Agricultural Education Programs, Chapters and Students The Nebraska FFA Foundation is now seeking applications for 2022 grants.

SAE to small engines tools and equipment to animal learning lab materials.

The local grant program, in its sixth year, supports Nebraska agricultural education classrooms, FFA programs and individual student Supervised Agricultural Experiences. Funds are provided by supporters of the Nebraska FFA Foundation and its general fund.

“The Nebraska FFA Foundation understands that in the challenging times that we are living today, the investment in local agricultural education classrooms, FFA chapters and students SAE’s are critical to strengthening agriculture for today and in the future, here in Nebraska. The Nebraska FFA Foundation’s local grant program helps to support Nebraska FFA members for growing future generations of leaders and preparing for nearly 300 important careers in agriculture,” says Stacey Agnew, Executive Director.

This year, grant requests may be any amount up to $10,000 for classroom and chapter projects, and up to $2,000 for student SAE projects. Applications are being accepted until June 30, 2022. Successful proposals from 2021 varied from pumpkin patch

Apply and learn more at neffafoundation.org.

Nebraska FFA Foundation 6-Star Sponsors ($15,000 - $24,999) Livestock

Marketing · Credit · Commodities

SCHAAF LEARNS THE ROPES OF BUSINESS WITH HER ENTREPRENEURSHIP SAE When Haily Schaaf’s lawn mower became undependable, she had a hard decision to make. She would either keep her business or throw all her hard work away and quit. Schaaf’s business consists of mowing lawns, trimming bushes, cleaning up brush, picking up sticks, removing leaves, trimming trees and taking care of flower beds. The repair costs of her lawn mower were cutting into her profit. She said, “I applied for this grant because with my old lawnmower I was not able to complete all my yards because it had several mechanical issues and needed to be repaired weekly.” To keep growing her business and maintain her current customers, she needed to update equipment. The Nebraska FFA Foundation was able to support her with her purchase of a more dependable lawn mower. This allows her to grow her efficiency and grow her business by adding more lawns this summer.

Haily Schaaf, Chambers FFA Member, 2021 SAE Grant Recipient

Schaaf says the biggest thing she has learned from her supervised agricultural experience has been how to effectively manage her time. She needs to plan her summer schedule to ensure she keeps all of her customers’ properties in order and pleasing to the eye. She just finished her freshman year and is a member of the Chambers FFA Chapter. She’s unsure of her future college and career plans, but is confident she wants to be in agriculture.

E’S BEES BUSINESS GROWING WITH HELP FROM LOCAL GRANT PROGRAM Elizabeth Luther will be a senior in the Nebraska City FFA Chapter. She was able to turn her hobby into more of a business with help from the Nebraska FFA Foundation’s Local Grant Program. Luther said she applied for the grant to help her offset the expenses of needed materials so her Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) could grow. She purchased hive components like boxes, frames and foundation to expand the apiary. She was also able to purchase an extractor, sivs, bottles and labels to sell the honey. She was able to collect about two gallons of honey for her hive this past summer. Now that she has more hives, she expects the business to expand even more this year. Marketing a product and caring for honeybees and the honeybee industry are all things she’s learned about through her SAE. After graduation, Luther wants to study horticulture in college.

Elizabeth Luther, Nebraska City FFA Member, 2021 SAE Grant Recipient

Nebraska FFA Foundation 5-Star Sponsors ($10,000 - $14,999) ® MEMBER FDIC

PAST STATE OFFICERS

Nebraska FFA Past State Officers Gather This year’s state convention didn’t stop the Nebraska FFA Foundation from hosting a reunion of past state officers. The 1996-97 Nebraska FFA State Officer Team performed opening ceremonies at the final session of the State Convention. The Foundation held it’s annual Past State Officer Reunion at the DelRay 817 following the final session. This reunion took place on Friday, April 8, with a short program, followed by a band, heavy appetizers and a cash bar.

25 YEAR TEAM: President: Philip Erdman, Bayard FFA Secretary: Jessica Shelburn, Nelson FFA Vice President: Jacob Slagel, Sargent FFA Vice President: Ryan Buschkamp, Bloomfield FFA Vice President: Jennifer Jarecke Wood, Fullerton FFA Vice President: Tony Collins, Gothenburg FFA Vice President: Timothy Hodges, Nebraska City FFA

Also in attendance were members of the 1960-61 Nebraska FFA State Officer Team to celebrate their 61st reunion. Pictured left to right: Lawrence Turner, Jack Welch, and Galen Frenzen

WAYS TO GIVE

Growing Leaders. Building Communities. Creating Career Connections. You can support the Nebraska FFA Foundation invest in agricultural education and FFA for over 11,000 FFA members and their advisors by growing leaders, building communities and creating career connections. •

General Fund - Supports local FFA chapters, agriculture classrooms and Supervised Agricultural Experiences through the Nebraska FFA Foundation Grant Program like Elizabeth’s beekeeping and Hailey’s mowing businesses.

•

I Believe in the Future of Ag - Designate your support to a local FFA chapter for their own programs, like Pleasanton FFA.

It’s easy! Go to neffafoundation.org/support_us or return the enclosed envelope with your gift to donate today.

GARY SCHARF HELPING HAND AWARD WINNER

Gibbens Receives Award for Having a Helping Hand tournaments for 12 hours on a Sunday or planting extra mums for the city’s landscaping. With no reward, he’s willing to do these things for the good of others.” Gibbens has also gone above and beyond his regular teaching duties in his own school. Whether it be helping out the custodians or starting a “Kindness Committee” to combat bullying, he strives to bring about a kinder environment at West Holt. The Gary Scharf Helping Hand Award recognizes a Nebraska agriculture teacher and FFA advisor for what he or she has done in helping others, specifically in the school and community outside of agriculture education and FFA. As recipient of the award, Gibbens received a plaque and $500 cash award from the Nebraska FFA Foundation.

The Nebraska FFA Foundation has awarded Mr. David Gibbens, West Holt FFA advisor, with the 2022 Gary Scharf Helping Hand Award.

The annual award is named for Gary Scharf, who was a victim of an Omaha mall shooting in December 2007. “The Foundation Board is honored to present this award to Mr. Gibbens. He exemplifies many qualities that defined Gary Scharf’s life – commitment, selfsacrifice and genuine kindness,” says Stacey Agnew, Executive Director, Nebraska FFA Foundation.

Mr. Gibbens has led both school and community development projects and officiates youth sports on the weekends. He’s also established himself as a resource and mentor for other agriculture teachers in Nebraska. In her nomination, FFA member, Sadie Jarecke expressed her admiration of Gibbens’s dedication to his students and community. “He dedicates a lot of time and heart into everything he does. Mr. Gibbens is very deserving of this award because of his commitment to agriculture, FFA, and the betterment of others. He’s a funny guy and makes everyone feel welcome. He’s always willing to do things within our community such as refereeing youth wrestling

Scharf grew up on a family farm outside of Curtis, Nebraska and worked in the agricultural chemical industry. He made a significant contribution to Nebraska’s agricultural and FFA community through his years of service on the Nebraska FFA Foundation Board, including a year as Board President in 20022003.

Nebraska FFA Foundation 4-Star Sponsors ($5,000 - $9,999) AKRS Equipment Nebraska Corn Board Ag Processing Inc. BASF Extreme Ag, Inc. Heartland Builders Co Helena Agri-Enterprises LLC LandTrust

Midwest PMS/Biegert Feed Nationwide Insurance Performance Plus Liquids Reinke Manufacturing Company Tredz Central Wholestone Farms Engler Agribusiness

Entrepreneurship Program U.S. Army Graham Tire Center For Rural Affairs Dawson Tire & Wheel Dultmeier Sales ENBRIDGE Farmland Foods/Smithfield

Green Plains, Inc. Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Orthman Manufacturing Pivot Bio Southeast Community College Nebraska FFA Alumni and Supporters Council

PO Box 94942 Lincoln, NE 68509-4942

WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE 3

Students Gain Exposure to Career Opportunities with I Believe in the Future of Ag

Grant Opportunities for FFA chapters, agriculture classrooms and SAE projects

Gibbens Receives Award for Having a Helping Hand

Website: neffafoundation.org | Phone Number: 402-472-5224 | Address: PO Box 94942 Lincoln, NE 68509