CNA-SS-3-29-2017

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

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4-H FFA

Creston graduate logs thousands of miles as FFA state officer

By LARRY PETERSON CNA senior feature writer lpeterson@crestonnews.com

The first time Zach Hoffman was ever aboard an airplane, it was the the first leg of a trip that would take him 8,864 miles to the other side of the earth.

FFA, which rarely allows him to be at home for extended periods.

“A lot of my time is spent in Ankeny at the FFA Enrichment Center,” said Hoffman, the first state officer from Creston in 19 years. “That’s where I have my office.

I’ve done 25 to 30 chapter visits to schools all over the state. They are full-day events.

“IT’S HARD TO SAY, but I’ve had numerous people tell me through emails, texts or telling me personally that I helped them try something new. To me, that’s what it’s all about.

It’s what those upperclassmen did for me in high school when I was starting out.”

__

ZACH HOFFMAN

FFA state vice president

also speak at banquets, chapter meetings, all sorts of stuff to get around and help members around the state learn what opportunities are out there.”

When he was elected a state vice president, Hoffman’s speech was about igniting passion in FFA members. Looking back now, he thinks that quest has been successful.

“You set out to do that, of course,” Hoffman said. “It’s hard to say, but I’ve had numerous people tell me through emails, texts or telling me personally that I helped them try something new. To me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s what those upperclassmen did for me in high school when I was starting out.”

International trip

CNA photo by LARRY PETERSON

A common sight on Iowa highways in the past year is FFA state vice president Zach Hoffman of Creston driving his 2005 Chevrolet Duramax pickup with an FFA emblem in the rear window. Hoffman put 20,000 miles on the vehicle during his year of visiting FFA chapters and making other public appearances as a state officer.

INSIDE Halee Wallace

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Cody and Sammi Long

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Breianna Klein and Kayla Wookey

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Lauren Mitchell

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Casey Allen

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Erin and Katie Sobotka

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Brooklyn Sonntag

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Lacy and Stephanie Post

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That January trip to South Africa was part of a whirlwind year as a state officer for Iowa FFA Association, when he logged 20,000 miles on Iowa highways for FFA business on his 2005 Chevrolet Duramax diesel pickup.

Chapter visits to schools all over the state, leadership conferences and speaking engagements kept the Southwestern Community College freshman from Creston busy for 12 months.

“It’s gone by faster than I ever imagined,” said Hoffman, a 2016 graduate of Creston Community High School. “Seeing FFA as a state officer is completely different than just a chapter member. The biggest lesson I’ve learned almost every single day was that FFA advisers, teachers and administrators care so much for their students. Even a parent that’s volunteering on a Saturday to help out, or FFA advisers coming in on Sunday, unpaid, putting in the hours to see that their FFA students succeed. You see it everywhere you go around the state — just how much people do really care.”

In April 2016, Hoffman was elected as a state vice president and president of the South Central District, which stretches southeast to Knoxville and Centerville, north to Ballard of Huxley and East Marshall and west to Creston. But, each of the six vice presidents travels throughout the state for various functions during their year in office.

Hoffman has done all of his college work online during this busy year of service to

We talk about opportunities in FFA and work on activities that focus on teamwork. I

The highlight of his year was being included in a group of 75 state officers from around the nation to participate in the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers in South Africa early this year.

On Jan. 2, he boarded a jet airliner in Chicago to meet the rest of the group for orientation activities in Washington, D.C. HOFFMAN | 2A

Contributed photo

Zach Hoffman of Creston sits atop a ledge at famed Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town, South Africa, during an enrichment trip by state FFA officers from across the United States in January.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 29, 2017

HOFFMAN: CONT. FROM | 1A

“We flew in for two days of meetings, but each day we’d be done at about 4:30 and we’d be able to tour the city,” Hoffman said. “Seeing the nation’s capital in person was breathtaking in itself for me, and we hadn’t even left for South Africa yet!”

Then came the 18-hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. The two-week stay involved interacting with local agriculture officials, spending time with residents in local villages and flying to Cape Town to tour national landmarks there, such as scenic Table Mountain overlooking the city.

For a 19-year-old from rural Union County, it was an eye-opening experience.

“I’d be going to bed laying there just thinking that my parents back home would be waking up for the next day,” Hoffman said. “Just being on the other side of the world was something that I never had really dreamed of doing at such a young age. I tried to take time and reflect on the experience every single night. It was a lot to take in.”

After arriving in Johannesburg, the group toured cattle lots, mango and avocado farms, saw wildlife at a safari camp and shared meals with local residents in a shanty town. While primitive relative to their own neighborhoods in the United States, Hoffman said the students learned those

villages were efficient and pleasant family environments.

“Most of the people are doing fine,” Hoffman said.

“We sat in one of the huts having dinner. It was a traditional family dinner, not just rice and bread like you might think from watching commercials on TV. They make the most of what they have. Their big needs are access to good health care and sanitary water.

They have Malaria scares.”

Local residents were fascinated by the young Americans’ tales of agriculture production using state-of-the-art computerized equipment.

“We talked to them about John Deere GreenStar GPS autosteer systems in our equipment,” Hoffman related, “and they couldn’t believe it.

They compare it to a spaceship.

They use the smallest tractors operating Hoffman the smallest implements. But they do a good job doing it.”

It wasn’t the only time Hoffman traveled out of state for FFA business during his year in office. In June 2016, he went to the National Leadership Conference for State Officers in Nebraska, joining officers from a 12-state Central Region.

tion in Indianapolis before as a Creston chapter member, but in October 2016, it was his first time as a state officer.

“We served as delegates, so we laid the groundwork for the entire organization of FFA members,” Hoffman said. “There were 65,000 blue jackets (FFA members) there from around the United States. As state officers we had a say in policies, constitution amendments, resolution statements and auditing committees. This was my fourth trip to the national convention, but it was really different going and having those responsibilities.”

Hoffman also joined other FFA state officers in meeting with Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds about the FFA program and how students are benefiting from the state’s STEM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

After finishing duties at the South Central District convention in Centerville on March 4, where 750 FFA members and guests celebrated their year of achievements and state-qualifying contests, Hoffman turned his attention to the final stage of his year in office.

It culminates where it started a year earlier — April 9-11 in Ames for the FFA State Convention on the campus of Iowa State University.

“It’s the biggest thing we look forward to each year,” Hoffman said. “We’re finalizing scripts, getting our PowerNational Point presentations ready, getconvention ting all of the sponsors lined Hoffman had attended the up. As state officers we put on annual National FFA Conven- all of the sessions, recognize

Contributed photo

Zach Hoffman of Creston, at right back row, is shown with his South Central District officer team at a leadership retreat. Hoffman is president of the South Central District and a state FFA vice president. Shown in front from left are Kate Collins of ADM (Adel), Mara Weis of East Union and Cassie Bond of Earlham. In back are Chandler Jahner of Pella and Mason Ohnemus of Southeast Warren next to Hoffman.

contest winners and proficiency areas, thank sponsors and organize performances by the FFA talent (band and chorus).

It’s a fun couple of days, but also hectic for the state officers. We make sure the next team is ready to make that transition.”

Teamwork Past officers from the South Central District were helpful to Hoffman as he got started a year ago. One of those is Erica Bayer of Earlham, now an agriculture education student at Iowa State.

“I helped Zach with some of the things like balancing school work with the scheduled chapter visits, speaking engagements and the work involved in developing curriculum,” Bayer said. “I saw one of my biggest roles as just offering support to him, so he knows he’s not alone going through the process of being a part of FFA almost every sin-

gle day. I think he’s found that one of the biggest things you get from the experience is the amount of great people you get to meet. Those connections that can link you across this world, those are irreplaceable.”

Hoffman agrees. He looks no farther than the wall of the Creston Community High School commons for inspiration, at the photograph of the late Kevin Eblen, who was National FFA president from Creston in 1986-87.

Eblen became a national leader for the Monsanto corporation, working in China at the time of his sudden death at the age of 46 in 2012.

Hoffman is looking to major in agriculture business at Iowa State, but also plans to follow up with the many contacts he’s made in the industry during the past year.

“Becoming a national officer, the president, was such a big accomplishment by Kevin

Eblen and in doing so, he set the ground work for an international career in agriculture at an early age,” Hoffman said. “Those connections he made traveling the state and the country for FFA helped him achieve that. He was making a huge difference in the lives of people all over the world. I’ll take the next few months to reach out to some of those industry professionals I’ve met and get a better grasp on what’s out there for me. I haven’t had time yet because I’ve always been on the go.”

If nothing else, the year has taught Hoffman that dreams are attainable.

“I came in as a freshman at Creston High School and had no idea about any of this,” Hoffman said. “What I’ve learned is, if you want something, and you’re willing to work for it, you can make it happen. That goes with anything in life. I firmly believe in that now.”

Contributed photo

Zach Hoffman of Creston, fourth from right, stands with the rest of the Iowa FFA state officer team in the office of Gov. Terry Branstad with Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds during a meeting to discuss the state’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education initiative.

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Adopted into Adair County 4-H

By KELSEY HAUGEN Special to the CNA

Distance can’t keep Halee Wallace away from Adair County 4-H. While her family lives in Adams County and she attends school in Taylor County, she chose Adair County for 4-H. As her father, Doug Wallace, grew up in Adair County and her grandmother, Donna Wallace, is the county’s youth coordinator, Adair County 4-H was a natural fit for Halee.

She joined in fourth grade and still chooses this 4-H community above one closer to home.

When Doug married Julie, Halee’s mother, he adopted Halee. She was a kindergartener in Lenox at the time.

“She had hearing aids, and early in her education, she needed a little extra help to get caught up in school because of the lag time – she was a little over 2 years old before they realized she was hearing impaired,” Doug

said. “So, she had some catching up to do. All that help was in place when Julie and I got married, so we thought it was best to leave her where she was at. She was getting along great.”

As Halee’s parents built their family, having two more children, Davin and Dylan, they kept all three children in Lenox until Halee obtained her driver’s license. At that point, Halee could handle her own hectic schedule, which has always involved several extracurriculars.

Beginning this year, Halee’s brothers now attend school in Creston, which is closer to home, as the family lives on a farm about eight miles outside of Creston.

But Halee, a junior in high school, will finish out her education in Lenox.

“We don’t drive quite as many miles as we used to, but we still cover a lot of bases,” Doug said.

If anything, 17-year-old Halee is the one driving extra miles to and from school and for 4-H activities. But, 4-H is also a family activity,

as Doug and Julie are both former 4-H’ers and Doug serves as a superintendent for the beef show.

Halee shows swine and sheep, she participates in clothing and communication events, and she is a member of the Richland Royals 4-H club and Adair County Youth Council.

“I like hanging out with my friends, working and helping little kids, especially their first year of 4-H. I’ve been there and it’s kind of scary, so I like helping the kids relax and helping them know what to do and how to improve for the next year,” Halee said. “I like to be a role model, especially with my two brothers, and they’ve helped me be a better role model in 4-H.”

‘Dollars and cents’ Halee grew up raising sheep, but her family buys the swine she shows from a farm.

“I’d never raised a sheep in my life until Julie and Halee came along,” said Doug, a diversified crop and livestock farmer. “Halee

Contributed photo

Adair County 4-H’er Halee Wallace poses with her swine during the 2016 Adair County Fair swine show at the fairgrounds in Greenfield

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Contributed photo

Halee Wallace is shown with some of her 2016 Adair County Fair awards for, from left, champion swine performance, champion rate of gain market lamb, champion pen of three home-raised market lambs and champion lamb performance show.

liked being outside and cattle were a little too big for her when she was really small, so I thought, ‘We’ll get some sheep,’ and it grew from there.”

“I’ve learned a lot, learned to keep track of the weight from the beginning until the end,” Halee said. “We have a rate of gain competition at the county fair, and that’s when you weigh at the beginning in April and weigh at the county fair, and it makes you keep track of the feeding, and it made me more responsible for the money.”

With sheep, the most challenging part for Halee has been breaking them and getting them to walk. For swine, she said it can be difficult to keep them calm so they don’t run all over the place.

“Sheep can be pretty stubborn, but Halee works with them and usually they come around and turn into a bunch of pets by the time she’s done,” Doug said.

Halee added: “That’s the

best feeling, that I’ve done this to them, broken them and they like me. They’re my pets.”

Over the years, Halee has earned a number of 4-H awards at the county and state levels. She has won sheep and swine champion carcass show for several years at the county fair, as well as rate of gain, champion carcass and showmanship awards, among others.

“At Adair County Fair, we’re fortunate to have really good swine and sheep shows – a lot of numbers and really high quality,” Doug said. “The county usually

does really well at the state fair level, too.”

Halee doesn’t have what people might call “show-quality animals.”

“She’s learned a lot about the dollars and cents and what it takes to get the maximum gain out of her animals and to produce the best, which, talking to a farmer, that’s what it’s all about,” Doug said. “It’s not about the flash and the show; at the end of the day, it’s about how much that animal puts in your pocket and provides for your family. She’s done a WALLACE | 4A

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WALLACE: Top merit of excellence

er a skit, and we went to the county fair to perform it,” Halee said. “Even though I know the people, I still don’t like performing in front of an audience, so it’s helped me open up and be confident with how I entertain.”

One of Halee’s favorite awards is one earned in a communication event. She was given the top merit of excellence award for working exhibit.

“It was pretty exciting because it means you’re really, really good,” Halee said. “I’ve done the working exhibit since I started, ... and it’s helped me with my 4-H skills. In working exhibit, you have to reach out to people to do a project, and it’s helped me talk to different types of people. It made me confident in myself.”

The project involves the 4-H group coming up with a craft and helping passersby, often younger children or other 4-H’ers, make the craft in a few minutes. It gives the group in charge a chance to explain a project to someone else, so there are communication skills involved.

Recently, Halee’s group taught others how to make magazine envelopes, a project that emphasized recycling.

Halee also participates in the share the fun event, which allows 4-H’ers to arrange and perform any type of performance.

“My 4-H group put togeth-

In the clothing event, Halee learns to select stylish outfits while being cautious of her spending. Most recently, she participated in fashion review and $15 challenge.

“I’m not really a big shopper myself, so the $15 challenge helped me a lot because it made me look into clearance to buy clothing,” Halee said.

“It made me realize you can put different clothes together for a cheap price and make it look really good. I enjoy going with my mom to Des Moines or to Creston to the rerun shop. I feel it brings my mom and I together; we enjoy it.”

For fashion review, the goal is for 4-H’ers to show off their style and explain why they picked certain pieces of clothing.

“It actually helped me do laundry. Also, I have learned about the principles and elements of design of the outfit – not a lot of people realize what’s asymmetrical, what’s symmetrical, and all the rhythms and lines and all that,” Halee said.

Doug added: “I’ve learned a lot about that now – the design

CONT. FROM | 3A

great job of learning that.”

Fashion sense

patterns, how clothing should flow, what draws your eye to certain things and what goes together and what doesn’t. It’s up for opinion, but it allows them to explore those different elements, and there is kind of a science to it.”

Moving up Along with her involvement in 4-H at both the county and state levels, and having attended the State 4-H Conference in Ames, Halee is a second-year member of the Adair County Youth Council. This year, she is vice president.

“I think anybody would say that the 4-H organization encompasses some of the best youth in the area, as far as role models – young kids that are going to be good citizens in our community as they grow up and learn a lot of those important skills that will make them successful in life,” Doug said. “The youth council’s purpose is to serve that 4-H organization and bring others into it as a place to learn and become the best that they can be.”

New FFA chapter Halee keeps busy year round with extracurricular activities. In addition to her regular 4-H events, she dabbles in woodworking with her father, as well as photography. At school, she participates in FFA, basket-

Contributed photo

Pictured is Halee Wallace at the Iowa State Fair 4-H Awardrobe clothing event in August 2016 at Iowa State University.

ball, volleyball, track, band, speech, National Honor Society and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

She has been to the National FFA Convention twice.

“This year, I’m going to do the competition where you get people involved in FFA,” Halee said.

“It’s a communication contest, and it’s a fairly new one that FFA’s come out with in

the last couple years. You’re kind of asked to be a spokesperson for FFA, and you get judged on that through your preparation work for the contest,” Doug said.

Much like she is with 4-H, Halee is in a unique situation with her FFA involvement.

Lenox didn’t have an FFA chapter until recently; they had their charter year when Halee was a freshman. So, she was in the freshman class of a brand new FFA chapter,

and she and her classmates had the challenge of growing and developing their chapter and activities.

“FFA has a lot to offer, and the chapter is getting their feet wet and getting more and more involved.

It’s been a unique situation for her to be there at the beginning of a chapter,” Doug said. “She has learned a lot along the way, along with her adviser and the rest of the members in the chapter.”

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After winning champion rate of gain, Halee Wallace poses with her sheep in August 2016 at the Adair County Fair in Greenfield.

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A Long standing tradition Cody Long and his sister Sammi hone life skills through 4-H and FFA projects

grandpa, Harold, back when he was in FFA. “They are good people, you can just tell,” Hansen said. “You’ll see Sammi or Cody out working with their own animals. They are responsible, take care of them and take pride in what they do.”

n

By JAKE WADDINGHAM

Showing livestock

Special to the CNA

ORIENT – After a quick glance of Cody and Sammi Long’s curriculum vitae, it is easy to recognize they believe in contributing to the future of agriculture and back it up with a faith born not of words, but of deeds.

Cody, 17, is a senior at Orient-Macksburg High School and plans to attend Southwestern Community College in the fall to start working toward a degree in ag business. He is looking at several options to transfer to complete his bachelor’s degree, including Iowa State University and Oklahoma State University.

His sister, Sammi, 14, is a freshman at O-M. Similar to Cody, she is interested in a career in agriculture and has grown up traveling and participating in a variety of functions for 4-H and FFA. She shows Simmental cattle on the local, state and national circuit and is the freshman creed speaker for her FFA chapter.

“The whole speech in general I relate to very well being from a farm background,” Sammi said.

Cody and Sammi live on a farm about 9 miles east of Orient. Their parents are Rob and Gina Long and they have an older brother, Tyler.

Ed Hansen of Orient taught for 32 years and was the instructor of the Orient-Macksburg FFA Chapter. He was Gina’s FFA instructor and competed against Cody and Sammi’s

To say showing livestock is a pastime the Long family enjoys participating in together would be an understatement. Throughout the year, the family travels across the country to contests in Colorado, Texas and Mississippi, in addition to the time they spend at the Adair County Fair and Iowa State Fair.

“We are fortunate enough that we can roll on the national circuit,” Cody said.

“We were just at the National Western Livestock Show in Denver, Colorado, and the Iowa Beef Expo in Des Moines. It is a lot of time commitment, there are a lot of hours on the road in addition to the hours at home to get it all done.”

When Cody, Sammi and their family get to a show, they work on fitting their animal. They comb the hair on the legs, back and belly to make sure it looks pristine before it heads into the ring.

“If you win your class, you go back in for the divisional round, then if you win the division, you go back for the final drive,” Sammi said.”Between the different divisions and different breeds, they pick an overall champion.”

At a national show, there can be more than 1,000 head for one type of breed of cattle.

“There is no room for error,” Cody said. “They have to be in tip-top shape.”

The Long family has a strong tradition of showing

Simmental cattle, but Cody has also built a successful reputation for showing market lambs, a project he started in 4-H. He started the project from scratch and has built up being able to show competitively on the national circuit.

Cody and Sammi have been fortunate to win many awards during their time competing, so a few of the recent highlights include: Cody has won several awards and classes for his crossbred market lambs and competed for several division championships. At the Iowa State Fair in 2016, Cody won Senior Lamb Showmanship. One of his home-raised ewes that Sammi helped show at the Adair County Fair won and went on to win the Southwest Iowa Shootout.

Sammi ended up second for overall points in the junior showmanship for the Iowa Junior Beef Breeds Circuit. She was first place overall junior contestant at the American Junior Simmental Association South Central Regional held in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Contests consisted of showmanship, public speaking, judging and sales talk.

Contributed photo Sammi and Cody both placed in 10 top at the AJSA Pictured are Cody and Sammi Long. Cody is a senior at Orient-Macksburg High School and his sister, Sammi, is a freshman. The duo both plan to pursue careers related to National Classic.

FFA Contests In addition to showing cattle and sheep, Cody and Sammi compete in the individual speaking contests for their FFA chapter. At the district contest March 4, Sammi received a first place, gold rating in creed speaking and will advance to state. Cody also received a gold rating in job interview and is the alternative for the state contest.

The FFA creed is five paragraphs and competitors have to recite the creed from memory before a pan-

agriculture and enjoy competing in livestock shows and FFA contests.

el of judges. Then, the judges ask questions about the creed and how it relates to different aspects of agricul-

ture.

“I memorized all five paragraphs and then we went through each para-

LONG | 6A

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CONT. FROM | 5A

“Then we started working on other stuff to incorporate with the speech.�

Sammi said the district contest was more nerve racking because of the pressure to make it to the state contest. She will compete at state April 10. “It takes an individual that has confidence and feels comfortable in front of people,� Hansen said. “You have to be willing to work at it ... it is not just memorizing it, but to work on the questions.

Everyone there will be able to say the creed, but it is the questions that separate the winners from everyone else.�

Cody has competed in several speaking contests during his FFA career. To prepare for the job interview contest this year, he had to draft a resume and cover letter before meeting with a judge, just like a real-world job interview. “The interview process is of those things you’re going to need no matter what you go into; you are going to have to apply for a job sometime,�

Cody said. “You can practice for it all you want, but I am

pretty grateful that I can go in and wing it. You go in and meet one-on-one just like you would at a job interview. You go through a set of questions about yourself just like the typical job interview process.

It comes down to the judges’ opinions about what they like and what they don’t.�

Hansen, who worked with Cody to practice for the contest, said it is a tough competition because you are competing against some of the top seniors and best speakers in southwest Iowa. “You are there all by yourself,� Hansen said. “You don’t have someone else on the team – like in the parliamentary procedure contest – that can bail you out if you forget what to say or do. It’s tough, real tough.�

Cody and Sammi agreed the skills and connections they have made from competing with other FFA members, advisers and judges has been a valuable experience for their future careers. “The opportunities of the contests like job interview – or I’ve also participated in the ag sales contest where I placed second at state – these contests are all real-world scenarios that set you up for the future,� Cody said.

Contributed photo

Pictured is Cody Long with some of his awards from FFA and 4-H. Cody has won a variety of awards for showing cattle and sheep. He started showing crossbred market lambs as a 4-H project for the local county fair and built up a reputation for being competitive on the national circuit.

He won the Senior Lamb Showmanship at the Iowa State Fair in 2016.

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Contributed photo

Sammi Long helps show one of Cody Long’s home-raised breeding ewes, which won at the Adair County Fair and the Southwest Iowa Shootout.

Hansen said he always encouraged the individual speaking contests because the higher paying jobs will require you to speak in front of groups of people.

While Sammi makes the final preparations for the state contest, she is also excited to attend the convention to meet other FFA members from across the state. “You always get to meet new friends at the conferences you get to go to and at the national convention,�

Sammi said. “I think that is awesome.�

While Cody was slightly disappointed with the outcome of being the alternate this year, he is able to still keep a positive perspective about his overall experience with contests. “Being a senior, I have gone through it all and can look back and see what I took away and what I wish I would have done,� Cody said. “As I analyze my four years of doing this, ag is just like real-world problem solving.

Whether it is the contests you are doing or meeting friends and making connections ...

I can take away from those experiences and apply it to

“BEING a senior, I have gone through it all and can look back and see what I took away and what I wish I would have done. As I analyze my four years of doing this, ag is just like real-world problem solving.�

__

CODY LONG

Orient-Macksburg senior

the real world, go out and do some good.�

Cody and Sammi agreed the culture of FFA and 4-H has evolved to be more inclusive. You don’t have to come from an agriculture background or want to have a future career in agriculture to get involved. The contests and networking help develop the soft skills that are universal to any career. “You miss every chance you don’t take in the FFA; it is all there for you, you just have to reach out and grab on to it,� Cody said.

Contributed photo

Pictured is Sammi Long at a recent competition, the Iowa Beef Expo. To compete on the national circuit, Sammi and her family spend many hours at home and on the road to prepare for each show.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 29, 2017

7A

Balancing act

By HILARY FERRAND OST news editor hferrand@osceolaiowa.com

MURRAY — Future Farmers of America (FFA) supports the advancement of agriculture education across the U.S., whether teenagers are interested in becoming farmers or working in a related field like microbiology or business management. The skills today’s students learn are meant to streamline their success in college and the world of work.

Murray students begin in fourth grade with the 4-H program and transition to FFA as high school begins.

“It’s easier to make meetings here at school than it is driving to Osceola,” said Murray sophomore Breianna Klein, highlighting one of the many ways students involved in FFA effective- Klein ly juggle responsibilities.

Sitting down with two members — Klein and fellow sophomore Kayla Wookey — was an eye opener into the world of kids involved in ag education. They’re not just learning how to nurture plants to fruition but to nurture themselves and their futures.

It’s all about priorities “By the time you get to your sophomore year,” said Wookey, “you’ve got to figure out what’s more important and how to balance it.”

Since fourth grade, Wookey has been involved with a beef project with the support of her parents, Darin

and Shelly, and her neighbors, Nate and Leslie Ruby of Ruby’s Cattle Company.

“I raise heiffers, and then show them at the fair,” said Wookey. “I keep them, and let them have calves, and then keep the calves. It’s kind of a chain.”

She focuses her efforts on Simmental cattle. At the Clarke County Fair, Wookey showed the Grand Champion Heiffer Ruby’s NFF Rhythm C054 on behalf of Ruby’s Cattle Co. Simmental Angus are mainly black cows, she said, and from the sounds of her daily routine, they take an extraordinary amount of work to raise right.

“Usually, they’re around 70 to 80 pounds when they’re first born,” said Wookey, “but they stay on their mothers and you kind of take care of them until they’re at least a year old.

When we first take them off the cows, I feed them two buckets of feed every morning and every night. You mix their feed, because they have to have certain kinds of feed, water them, clean their pen, re-bed it, wash their mats, let their mats dry. You have to wash the cows, soap them, wash them again, comb them, put them in the chute, blow dry them, put conditioner in their hair and blow dry them again.”

Similar, the pigs Klein raises with support from her parents, David and Jeanne Klein, is a bigger job than many children her age take on.

“Bright and earlies,” said Klein. “Bright and early, you get up before school.

My pigs aren’t at my house.

They’re at a conjoining farm with my grandma and grandpa. I have to walk across in dead winter when I first get them in January or February. I’ll feed and

water them, make sure their heat lamps are still working.

While I’m at school, I just have to make sure they have enough feed.”

Chores continue once the students get home from school and again just before bed.

“Granted, this is 10 or 11 at night,” Klein said.

“It’s our duty to take care of them,” said Wookey, but she noted the animals give plenty back. “Your animals are your escape from sports and life, in my opinion.

When I get home at night from softball, I immediately go out. I change, I go out to my cows and I sit there with them.”

“And talk about life,” said Klein.

“You just kind of relax OST photo by HILARY FERRAND and let everything go that Breianna Klein shows a group of second grade students how to plant their marigolds in happened that day,” Wook- the Murray greenhouse. ey said.

For both girls, the dai- volved in the Clarke Counly grind entails quite a lot. ty Organization of PhilanWookey and Klein are both thropic Services (CCOPS).

“Each year, we pick what pitchers for Murray’s Lady we’re going to focus on, and Mustang softball team. They then we branch off from it,” participate in other sports, too, and stay active in FFA said Klein. “This year is literacy and bringing back the and other school groups.

“I’m in volleyball, basket- fine arts. We’re bringing the ball, track and softball,” said opera to Murray.”

The group is also responKlein. sible for activities for young“We used to play travel er children involving music basketball together on the and art. weekends and Murray bas“I was in a lot of other ketball during the week,” said Wookey. “We both play things,” said Klein. “Everything else I’ve dropped beon differcause I haven’t had time.” ent travel A labor of love softball teams, While both girls are big and we fans of softball and other play for sports, the time they spend Murray with their animals is paraduring the mount. Not only does it take summer.” Wookey up most of their time during OST photo by HILARY FERRAND Klein Kayla Wookey works with younger students during ag class.

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MURRAY: CONT. FROM | 7A

the day, but the return on the investment keeps them focused. “Other than being a lot bigger, and the squealing part, (pigs) are a lot like dogs,� said Klein. “You get them from the time they’re babies. You raise them.

They’re so used to you by the time they’re a couple months old, they’ll let you sit down with them, play with them. They’re like giant pets.�

Both girls nestle up with their animals at the county fair, though training methods differ quite significantly between them.

that’s got loose. We had to chase it around our yard for a couple of hours.�

Pigs, and cows, also have a bad reputation for eating hair. “You’re cleaning their pen, you bend over and your hair is in their mouths,� said Klein.

For the most part, both girls have had a wonderful experience raising animals and feel close to their “giant pets.� “I consider them my babies,� said Wookey. “Pretty much all of mine are so tame that they just walk behind you and follow you everywhere you go.�

She wasn’t always so confident. As a fourth grader on the small size, the cows were almost overwhelming. “I had three heifers when I was in fourth grade,� said Wookey. “But I had a passion for cattle. So, it was the passion over the fear.�

“I HAVE a cow I can lay on and ride. If you work with them and take the time to Developing get to know them, leadership skills Leadership is an integral they become just component to the FFA prolike family.� gram at Murray. Not only

__

property provides plenty of opportunities to hone those skills. “We’re in a plant science class, currently,� said Wookey, “so we’re out there pretty much every day.�

Each girl has her own plant to nurture — Klein selected strawberries while Wookey chose cilantro.

Using the school’s new aquaponic and hydroponic growing systems, the students will plant and grow a variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers. They intend to give them away as teacher appreciation gifts this year.

Students from second-grade classes show up to plant flowers, too. They group around the older students, waiting for their turn. Positive reinforcement is a big part of the plan. “If you have your seeds, you come over here. You’re going to plant 1-2-3,� Klein said, demonstrating to a group of four or five kids how to poke holes in the soil and drop their seeds in, waiting as they follow her lead. “There you go!� “This is what the greenhouse is all about,� said Wookey. “Trying to show them how much fun it is to work together — being a leader, communicating and

do the students learn how to organize their schedules and discover the benefits of their hard work, they also learn how to guide others. The greenhouse built “I have a cow I can lay near the back of the school on and ride,� said Wookey. “If you work with them and take the time to get to know them, they become just like family.�

Once her calves come off their mothers, she uses another beast of labor to help in their training. “I have a donkey. His name is Dan,� said Wookey. “The donkey trains them to walk and lead.� “I use donuts instead of a donkey,� said Klein, explaining the pigs move easily from snack to snack. “It makes like a trust exercise.

You walk them around doing that, you keep feeding them treats.�

The lessons make it easy to manage livestock with a much lower risk of having them run off. “We had one one year that got sick really young and took a lot of shots. He was (nervous) of people after that — and very athletic,� said Klein. “It decided CNA file photo to jump the fence one time, Breianna Klein of Murray takes a shot during a basketball but that’s the only one game against Lenox.

KAYLA WOOKEY Murray sophomore

OST file photo

Kayla Wookey of Murray is shown with her champion commercial heifer at the Clarke County Fair in Osceola. Also pictured is Clarke County Fair Queen Brandi Gilbert.

getting our plants to grow.� common to students at this A look to the future age.

However, she knows she As sophomores with wants to work in civil enpacked schedules, asking gineering.

Wookey is still the girls to think a few uncertain, though interestyears ahead might be a lited in both agriculture and tle cruel. dentistry. “I’m on a day-to-day baOne thing they’re taught sis,� said Klein, citing the by juggling sports, clubs potential for anxiety so

Jennifer

Jane

Joyce

and FFA responsibilities is how to effectively use strategy every day. Experience has already shown them the hard work will pay off. “I’m trying to keep improving,� said Wookey. “The better I can get, the easier it’s going to be.�

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9A

Mitchell transforms into a leader through 4-H, FFA positions

By KELSEY HAUGEN Special to the CNA

AFTON – Lauren Mitchell’s involvement in 4-H and FFA has helped her grow from timid participant to confident leader.

For the third year, Mitchell is on the Union County Youth Council for 4-H, currently serving as secretary. She also serves as her 4-H chapter president and FFA vice president.

This summer, she will represent Union County and the state of Iowa during the Citizenship Washington Focus trip for 4-H in Washington, D.C. “Before 4-H, I was shy.

Now, I’ve really opened up and feel like I’m a better leader,” said Mitchell, 17, of Afton.

“Through 4-H and FFA, I feel like I better know myself through some of the activities, and I Mitchell think I’ve gained a lot of leadership experience and feel I’m more confident around other people. I’ve gained experience that will help me in the future.”

Beef projects Now a junior at East Union Community High School, Mitchell first got involved with

Clover Kids before joining 4-H in fourth grade. Her first 4-H year, she showed a bottle calf, and every year since, she has had a beef project.

“I won a breeding heifer scholarship from Union County Cattlemen’s (Association), and when I filled out the application, I said what I wanted was a pure-bred Angus heifer, and I ended up getting one,” Mitchell said.

“Since I got that, I’ve only showed pure-bred Angus, but before that, I had crossbred cattle.”

Preparing for county and state fairs requires months of work, and it can be overwhelming, Mitchell said.

“You have to make sure that you have ways to keep them cool and make sure you have ways to keep them satisfied so they’re not uncomfortable while they’re there,” she said. “Every year, we go and clean up the fairgrounds, all of us 4-H’ers, and lay out our bedding. You also have to make sure you have all your supplies ready and know what you need to do to make sure your animal is as comfortable as can be, and you have to be efficient.”

Before competing, Mitchell also works to ensure her livestock are relatively calm and tries to get them used to being around people, including her family: parents Jamie and Stacey and sisters Megan and Brooklyn.

“But, once you get to the fair, it’s a completely different

environment. They’re always a little nervous,” she said. “I just try to keep them calm.

And, I always try to make sure I’m completely ready for the fair beforehand. If my animal wasn’t ready for the fair, I wouldn’t take it.”

While Mitchell said she hasn’t yet taken home grand champion or reserve champion titles, she consistently earns blue and purple ribbons.

“It’s not really about winning to me,” Mitchell said.

“It’s about showing that I’m responsible, and I can raise my livestock to the best of my ability and make sure they’re ready for show. Maybe I don’t showcase my animal as best as I should, but I always try to have good showmanship and be fair and helpful to others.”

4-H leadership In 4-H, Mitchell worked her way up through officer roles and is currently her chapter’s president. She is also part of the New Hope Boosters club.

“And then, I’ve been in Union County Youth Council since it started,” Mitchell said.

“My first year, I didn’t really have an officer role, but last year, I was the public relations officer. This year, I’m the secretary.”

The council takes on a variety of projects, including planning activities for the county to bring all 4-H’ers together, Mitchell said.

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Lauren Mitchell, second from left, poses with a group of fellow Union County Youth Council members while doing roadside cleanup in spring 2015 on Highway 34 west of Afton. The students helped the Afton Lions Club with cleanup in exchange for using their inflatables at a 4-H event. Pictured, from left, are Dalten Bierle, Mitchell, Gavin Kline, Brianna Hagen, Rakenzy Pryor and Lauren Hadley.

lected by Haley Jones, Union County youth and outreach coordinator.

“Lauren has been fun to watch as she has come out of her shell and taken on leadership roles within her club but also with the youth council,” Jones said. “As one of the original members of the youth council in 2014, she is now at the forefront of the group as a leader and has taken on a role-model status for the newer members.”

Seeing Mitchell’s potential, Jones also encouraged her to apply for the weeklong Citizenship Washington Focus trip, which features 4-H leadership workshops and events.

“Only 50 kids from Iowa get to go, so you have to apply by the deadline and hope you’re in that top 50,” Mitchell said.

“It was really fun to find out I was accepted.”

FFA leadership Though Mitchell has garnered more leadership roles in 4-H, she has gained leadership skills in FFA, too. She first got involved with FFA as a greenhand in eighth grade.

Her freshman year of high school, Mitchell applied to be an officer but didn’t get a position that year. She still competed that spring in creed speaking, which involves reciting the FFA’s creed from memory and answering questions about its meaning.

Mitchell went on to sub-districts and took third place.

As the creed-speaking event boosted her self-confidence and communication skills further, she applied to be an officer again for her sophomore year and was given the position of co-secretary.

This year, she has moved up again and is vice president of

her chapter.

“I think everyone should be a part of either organization: 4-H or FFA,” Mitchell said.

“They give you so many opportunities and you learn so much. And, with all the opportunities they give me, I’ve made so many friends going to different places and meeting people. It’s just a good environment to be in.”

Continual work with animals Aside from 4-H and FFA, Mitchell participates in volleyball, basketball and trapshooting at East Union. She is also class officer this year for East Union’s junior class.

Mitchell envisions her future including more work with animals. She is interested in attending college, possibly Iowa State University, to study first animal science and eventually veterinary medicine.

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High-point champion Casey Allen of Afton grows horse-competition skills through 4-H, FFA and rodeos n

By KELSEY HAUGEN Special to the CNA

AFTON – Casey Allen grew up rarely stepping outside of her comfort zone: bonding with horses.

Once she joined 4-H and later FFA, she was able to continue bonding with horses while also being challenged to be more outgoing and take on new roles.

Part of a horse-loving family, 16-year-old Casey started barrel racing around age 3. She began honing her roping skills at age 8.

She has picked up many of her rodeo and horse-showing skills from family members. Her family – parents, Shawn and Donna, and brother, Chase – lives on a small acreage outside of Afton.

“We have mostly (American) Quarter Horses and they’re pretty versatile. I grew up with horses, and we’ve just always had them around,” Donna said. “It’s a family thing. We all help; even my parents still help.

They helped me; they help her. We all ride together.”

From a young age, Casey got in the habit of riding her horse nearly every day.

“You have to ride your horse and keep them in shape. And then, you go to the arena and work on slow work, like working on the

CNA photo by SCOTT VICKER

Casey Allen of Afton guides her Quarter Horse around a barrel during the 2016 Union County Fair horse show barrel-racing competition at the Union County Fairgrounds in Afton.

basic, step-by-step stuff and putting it all together before the event or rodeo you’re going to,” Casey said. “You have to have a bond with your horse. You can’t just pick up a horse and take it. It takes a lot of work to make you and your horse fit together.”

in third grade and took a bucket calf to the fair. The next year, she joined the Horse and Riders 4-H club and took the returning bucket calf and a market calf.

“And then, in 2010, I ap-

plied, did an interview process and won a $500 heifer scholarship through the Cattlemen’s to purchase a breeding heifer,” Casey said. “After I purchased her, I brought her back for the fair for one year.”

She joined 4-H in fourth grade and has been showing horses ever since. She has won high-point awards as a junior, intermediate and senior. She also held two offices during the time she was in 4-H.

Additionally, Casey has earned grand champion horsemanship, grand champion overall reining and champion barrels awards.

“My favorite award is ALLEN | 17A

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Sisters in crime

Sisters Erin and Katie Sobotka are active in 4-H projects, occasionally working together to complete projects. n

By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com

DIAGONAL – Erin and Katie Sobotka are sisters in crime, and that crime is enjoying 4-H. The teenagers have worked on a large amount of 4-H projects individually, and occasionally worked on some together.

“My whole family has been in 4-H since they were little kids, so it was kind of a given that I would be in 4-H also,” Erin said.

Erin, 15, and Katie, 17, are the daughters of Darla and Doug Sobotka and both attend Diagonal High School. Erin is a freshman

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

From left, Katie and Erin Sobotka, sisters who participate in 4-H and other activities in Diagonal, squat near a 4-H project they created for the Diagonal community. The project, which is immortalized next to the local community center, is made of smooth bricks engraved with the names of people who served in the United States Military with some connection to the area.

and Katie is a junior. Both

are active in other school

activities, but 4-H takes up a lot of their summer time.

Erin Erin, who has been in 4-H for about seven years, is active in photography, antiques and woodworking.

She showed bucket calves when she was younger, winning reserve champion. She used to show rabbits and even won grand champion, reserve grand champion, best of show and showmanship, but since school got busier and she was unable to care for them property, she

sold them.

“4-H just kind of gives you leadership skills. It also makes you do things in the summer and it makes you do projects that you probably normally wouldn’t do,” Erin said. “Photography is just kind of an easy thing.”

Erin, who enjoys taking photographs of silhouettes and still life, plays with black and white, as well as how color falls in a photo.

“Erin has a nice eye for being able to pick something out and being able to take a

good shot of it,” Darla said.

“But, she’s learned that in photography, it’s very much based on the judge’s personality. It’s very subjective.

And, that’s been a good thing for Erin to learn.”

Erin still enjoys photography for the history aspect, the ability to look back on the photographs and see how things have changed in a certain amount of time.

Erin also does woodworking and creating things out of antiques. She created a table made of wooden crates and etched glass, another table made of a pulley, glass and an old bomb shell and a bell stand.

“We went on a junking trip one time in Missouri,” Darla said, “and she saw the bell down there and was like, ‘Can I get the bell?’

And, she finally figured out what to do with the bell after that.”

“The bell stand is this stand with a bell in it, obviously. But, I painted a crack in it to resemble the Liberty Bell,” Erin said. “That was kind of hard to do because I had these four angles, tilted that all come together.”

“She likes to build things,” Darla said. “She likes to take something old and recreate it.”

“I just like recreating old things,” Erin said. “I don’t think they should go to waste. I don’t like that because they have a story behind them.”

Katie Katie has been in 4-H for SOBOTKAS | 13A

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CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Erin Sobotka kneels next to a 4-H project she made involving painting and woodworking. Erin took an antique bell and painted a stripe down the side similar to that of the crack in the Liberty Bell. She then created housing for the bell out of wood, and now the small tower stands next to the sign to Excel Engineering, the business her parents, Darla and Doug, own in Diagonal.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 29, 2017

about 10 years and has interests in barn quilts and welding.

“It started out as, basically, my aunt wanted a barn quilt because she thought they were cool and she conned me into making one,” Katie said.

“Then, I actually gave the first one to my K. Sobotka grandma, I think.”

First, Katie would start with a plan. She finds her designs on the internet, occasionally customizing them, and plans the designs out.

Some require math, while othes can be mapped out into squares.

“I had fun doing it. And then my aunt, she really wanted one. And we have one out there on the horse barn. It was my second one, I think,” Katie said. “I think I’ve done about eight in total.”

All but one of her barn quilts went to the Iowa State Fair.

Katie also participates in welding projects. Her main one was a scarifier.

“Usually my projects end up being decided upon a month before,” Katie said.

“But, that project was kind of hard and time consuming.”

Katie’s scarifier is a large, blue latticework of metal with little metal prongs underneath that dig into the ground. It can be attached to a skid loader by a piece of metal welded onto the latticework.

“My dad helped me a lot throughout this because he was the one who wanted me to make this so that he could use it,” Katie said. “We had to get the angle right so that it would sit on the back of the skid steer correctly. It was just basically a lot of math.”

Katie welded the 50 prongs onto the metal in two days, each prong requiring a weld on both sides. Plus, she had difficulty painting the equipment because her original water-based paint rusted through immediately.

Then, she and a friend drove to Fort Dodge to have a powder coat applied, but when they got there, they were told the equipment wasn’t big enough for her scarifier. Then, Katie received help from her mother, who found a man in Lenox who could paint it. At 5:30 the morning of the judging,

Group projects The sisters also worked on several projects together for 4-H. One project included their entire 4-H group, the Twin River Tornadoes. They painted lines on a basketball court in Diagonal for an upcoming three-on-three basketball tournament.

But, the project the sisters did by themselves made it to the Iowa State Fair.

“We wanted to honor the veterans in Ringgold County, or around Diagonal,” Darla said. “So, we started collecting veteran names, and actually, we were able to make a veteran memorial site at the community building in town.”

First, they had to put an ad in the local newspaper to get names of people who wanted to purchase a tile.

“It was kind of a rough and bumpy road at first because we really didn’t know how to do it,” Erin said.

“There’s tiles there that have the soldier’s name engraved on them, E. Sobotka what war they went to and the date.”

After receiving mailings with names to be included, as well as putting the names of family members in, the girls began putting the site together.

“We started out by taking the tiles and getting sand and leveling them around the flag.

We put pebbles in between them to space them out. But, that didn’t work out very well because the sand would wash out and everything,” Erin said. “So we ended up just putting them in concrete.”

They also received a $500 start-up grant from Pioneer for the project. The site they chose is located on the main road in Diagonal near the Freedom Rock. The black tiles are polished and etched with the names of people who served the United States with

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CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Katie Sobotka smiles next to a dirt leveler, also known as a scarifier, she created for 4-H with the help of her father, Doug. The metal leveler required Katie to weld 50 small prongs onto the bottom of a latticework of metal, as well as have the right angle when she welded the top to allow it to be used by a skid loader.

some connection to Diagonal.

“They learned that just placing the tile on sand, that they shifted and when they put pea gravel in between the tiles to prevent them from shifting, it did not work,” Darla said.

A cousin of Erin and Katie’s assisted them in leveling the tiles in the concrete at the community building, polishing the project to a shine.

There are still blank tiles for any future members of the military to be added.

“We just keep an eye on them and make sure the kids don’t step on them when there are events at the community building,” Erin said.

“We fought a lot while we were putting it together,” Katie said. “Especially the write up because, I don’t know, we’re sisters so we’re going to fight a lot. In the end, it worked out.”

The memorial site earned them the Iowa State Fair judge’s choice award, which is chosen as the judges’ favorite from all the projects in the same class.

“It looks pretty nice now.

So it’s great walking past it, seeing that it’s all done,” Erin said. “Especially when you see the elderly looking at it and they see their name. The looks on their faces, it’s rewarding.”

Even though the project turned out well, the sisters still prefer to work on their own projects separately.

And, while their parents’

help could be cumbersome, they still appreciated it.

“Sometimes they can be a little annoying,” Erin said of her parents at the same time as Katie saying, “Sometimes it’s frustrating.” Darla followed with a peal of laughter.

“Mom tends to think of a lot more things that you could do, but then you’re just, like, ‘Mom, I’m done with this project. I’m not doing any more with it,’” Erin said. “And Dad seems to think of, like, the mechanical side of, like, ‘You know, to support this more, you need to put some brackets in here and do all this and this and this.’ And, I’m like, ‘Dad, it’s fine.’”

“For me, sometimes I just want to be left alone, but sometimes I actually need their help,” Katie said. “So, I try not to be too snappy with them, but it doesn’t always work out that way. But, yeah, they help us a lot.”

To both sisters, 4-H is important to them, from learning lifelong skills to understanding various personalities to understanding their own limits.

“It’s taught me a lot about how to speak to different people and speak in front of people. I’m not very good at that, still to this day, but I would be super bad had I not been in 4-H,” Katie said.

“Perseverance is a must, ... and I think it’s important to be in a group, not necessarily 4-H, that teaches you life skills.”

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Katie took the scarifier to Lenox for a final paint job, finishing about an hour and a half before the judging took place.

“I like welding for a certain amount of time in a day. Once you do it all day, it gets a little old. But, yeah, it’s fun,” Katie said. “Dad helped me with the decision-making part. I welded every single weld on that thing. So, he didn’t help me with that part. But, he helped me with what angle we should put it at. He’s an engineer, so he has some idea of what’s going to work.”

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 29, 2017

SWV student active in 4-H

By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com

PRESCOTT – For Brooklyn Sonntag, it was all about getting involved.

The 13-year-old is active in volleyball, band, Y-Teens and track managing in school, in church is active in CYL and singing in the choir, and also volunteers her time doing 4-H. “I wanted to show livestock and learn how to take care of my animals,” Brooklyn said. “I wanted to get more involved in, like, doing projects and learning how to sew and cross stitch.”

Brooklyn comes from parents who help her in her endeavors, both animal and otherwise.

Brooklyn, who lives in Prescott with her parents, Mikalah and Steve, and siblings, shows rabbits and chickens at Adams County Fair. She also participated in sewing and cross stitch, food and nutrition, and photography.

Animals She first began showing rabbits when her main white rabbit, Molly, was about four months old.

Brooklyn was in fourth grade. She received help from her father, Steve, who is the FFA instructor at Southwest Valley High School in Corning.

“It was nerve racking because I didn’t know what she was going to do, or if she was going to flinch or scratch me,” Brooklyn said.

But, Molly proved herself and won reserve grand champion for Brooklyn.

“I got a couple scratches, but that’s just because she gets nervous sometimes in front of people,” Brooklyn said.

Since then, Brooklyn won grand champion for doe and grand champion overall with Molly.

“She did a lot better. She was calmer and she stayed put. She didn’t move really at all,” Brooklyn said. “I wasn’t as nervous because I had shown before and I kind of knew what to expect so it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be the second year.”

Her third year showing rabbits earned Sonntag reserve grand champion and reserve overall champion with Molly.

“It was a lot easier because I showed for two years, so it wasn’t bad,” Brooklyn said. “Sometimes, though, when I’m in front of people, yeah, I’ll get nervous.”

Brooklyn became interested in rabbits when she wanted to learn how to handle them.

“He (my dad) has shown me what kinds of breeds there are and what to look for,” Brooklyn said, “how to show them and how to handle them. How to do their chores right and how to clean them and what not to do.”

Brooklyn has three rabbits, Molly, her Mini Satin, and two others, which are Lionhead, Mini Satin and Dutch, mixed breed.

She had been hoping to show cattle, but that hasn’t worked out.

“I wanted to show them, but my dad said no,” Brooklyn said. “I’ve been asking since fifth grade.”

Brooklyn also shows California white, barred rock and buff chickens, which was the first animal she ever showed.

“They (my parents) said I have to show goats. I’d rather do sheep,” Brooklyn said. “I would have SONNTAG | 15A

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Brooklyn Sonntag of Prescott holds her rabbit, Molly, at her home in March. Molly won reserve grand champion and grand champion during two separate Adams County Fair years.

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

This is a pillow Brooklyn Sonntag made during 4-H and entered in the Adam County Fair. Sonntag made the pillow out of an old gray shirt her great-grandfather used to wear, added color with a red spotted tie and tied the sleeves together in front for flair. Sonntag plans to continue working in sewing and cross-stitching for inside fair projects.

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15A

SONNTAG: CONT. FROM | 14A

done cows but I can’t, so it’s the next step closer to showing a different animal.”

Inside projects

Contributed photo

Lauren Mitchell of Afton shows a purebred Angus heifer during the 2015 Union County Fair in Afton.

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

From left, Erin and Katie Sobotka of Diagonal pose for a photo together in March at their home. The sisters are the daughters of Darla and Doug Sobotka, and are active in 4-H projects.

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Brooklyn, an eighthgrade student at Southwest Valley Middle School in Villisca, also works on inside projects with the help of her mother, Mikalah.

Brooklyn began inside projects in discovery when she first started 4-H, but has since continued with them.

“It’s to challenge myself, and I like the experience,” Brooklyn said. “It’s a lot harder to do than other things.”

When she was in sixth grade, Brooklyn made a colorful cross stitch depicting two horses. That project went to the Iowa State Fair and received a blue ribbon.

In 2016, she created a memorable project out of her great-grandfather’s clothes.

“It was one of his favorite shirts, and it was to remember him,” Brooklyn said. “It had a tie to incorporate color and make it colorful.”

Brooklyn cut the gray shirt down and sewed the pieces back together into a small throw-sized pillow.

The red tie hangs down the center, spotted with a design, and the shirt sleeves are tied across the front of the pillow.

“He passed away, like, two years ago,” Brooklyn said. “I’ve made pillows before and I wanted to try one out of a shirt.

It was a little hard.”

Brooklyn learned to sew from her mother and her mother’s friend.

“I don’t do animals,”

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Brooklyn Sonntag of Prescott smiles for the camera with her winning cross stitch, depicting two horses, she made for 4-H in March. Sonntag enjoys sewing and cross-stitch thanks to her mother.

Mikalah said, though she will help her daughter wash chickens for fair. “I just help with the inside stuff. I made a quilt out of my grandpa’s stuff.”

Brooklyn also did photography, but missed the deadline her second year.

She said she may do it again in the future. She also plans to take agriculture classes in high school and be a member of FFA,

but is unsure what she wants to do after high school.

“You have a lot more stuff that you can do, and you’re not bored all the time,” Brooklyn said. “I’ve just grown up around agriculture and livestock, and so I wanted to learn how to show and get around things like that. My dad teaches it and I wanted to learn more.”

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16A

Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Post twins become individuals through 4-H

By SCOTT VICKER

own separate sections, so people will actually differentiate who is who.”

“It’s nice to know we have different interests.

We’re individual people,” Stephanie added.

“We’re not conjoined at the hip,” Lacy said.

Lacy and Stephanie’s interests in 4-H could not be more different.

Stephanie participates in baking and sewing, while Lacy has concentrated on horticulture. They both participate in photography.

Occasionally, the two are able to combine their in-

CNA managing editor svicker@crestonnews.com

DIAGONAL – For Lacy and Stephanie Post of Diagonal, both 14, 4-H gives them an opportunity to be seen as individuals rather than just as twins.

In addition to teaching them core values of leadership and citizenship, 4-H has also allowed the twins to explore their own individual interests.

“Everyone always says there’s the twins,” Lacy said. “In 4-H, we have our

Contributed photo

Stephanie Post sews together fabric coasters without the use of a pattern. She had to create her own pattern as a template. She spent the year becoming familiar with a new sewing machine, as well as learning different sewing techniques.

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dividual interest and work together on a project.

Making a storm One such project where the Post sisters combined their interests was a music project where Lacey and Stephanie each composed their own music and together created a song.

“We usually do different things,” Stephanie said.

“Photography is really the only thing we do in common anymore. Sometimes we can do something together we both know. It’s nice knowing if I don’t know something, the other one knows something.”

Lacy played drums and Stephanie played piano for the project, which was a musical interpretation of an Iowa thunderstorm.

“We had each composed our own music and our goal was to make it sound like a storm,” Stephanie said. “I had to sit down and play for a long time and compose the music. She had to sit down and compose her music. We had to find some way to put them together.

It was difficult, but we did pretty good, I think. It was our first time composing music. It was trial and error.”

Lacy said it was difficult to explain how the music sounded like the different parts of the storm.

“It sounded like a storm,” she said. “I’m not sure it was a good storm, but it was a storm.”

Learning how to work together to accomplish a goal is a skill that has been fostered by participating in 4-H. “It is something that introduces you to teamwork, leadership, how to handle a situation,” Stephanie said.

“4-H shows you that you have to work as a team to accomplish something. It’s nice to know when you’re trying to accomplish something you’re not alone; you have a team.”

Contributed photo

Lacy Post works on a horticulture project determining whether purchasing potted soil or regular dirt was better for plants. After her experiment, Lacy discovered potting soil was more beneficial because of the nutrients provided to the plant and for water purposes.

Contributed photo

Pictured are Stephanie, left, and Lacy Post with fresh-clipped flowers and a written explanation of a landscaping project they did while in Clover Kids. Stephanie and Lacy helped their grandparents create a memorial garden in their backyard in honor of a family member who had passed away the previous year.

“It basically is helping you develop and build your skills of leadership and citizenship and teamwork,” Lacy added. “It lets you have fun while you’re doing it and make friends. It’s like a better version of school.”

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17A

THAT TIME OF YEAR IS BACK …

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BASKETBALL & SAVING MONEY! CNA photo by SCOTT VICKER

Casey Allen of Afton shows off some of the awards she won during the horse show at the 2016 Union County Fair at the fairgrounds in Afton.

ALLEN: CONT. FROM | 11A

probably high point because I feel like it’s hard to use one horse for all the different classes and still place well enough to have enough points,” Casey said. “We have pretty good competition here.”

Once Casey was able to join FFA as a freshman at East Union Community High School, she decided to focus solely on FFA. “4-H taught me a lot, though,” she said. “Before, I was pretty quiet and wanted to stay low, but I was a historian one year and the treasurer one year in my 4-H club, and I think that really made me step out of my comfort zone. And, the younger kids don’t always have somebody else that’s in their 4-H club to help them through it, so I like to help them when I can.”

FFA During her first year in the East Union FFA chapter, Casey’s team advanced from sub-districts to districts.

“Our south-central sub-district is one of the hardest sub-districts in our district,” Casey said. “We advanced to districts and were an alternate for state.”

She was also named Star Greenhand of her chapter, a prestigious award given each year to the chapter’s most active first-year member – someone who has plans for a strong agricultural experience program and has demonstrated leadership.

Casey has also held offices her sophomore and junior years.

“There are a lot of opportunities in FFA,” Casey said.

“There are lots of CDEs, or career development events, like creed speaking, job interview, ag sales and parliamentary procedure. There’s lots of things you can do. You have to present in front of judges and

be able to answer questions. I think the best part is the opportunities FFA offers.”

For Casey, the decision to make her focus on FFA was an easy one.

“I decided I really liked FFA and was starting to hold offices in it,” Casey said.

“And, I had a great (former) adviser, Marla Shifflett. She really had all of us involved and made it really fun for all of us. That did it for me.”

The East Union chapter lost Shifflett as their adviser during Casey’s sophomore year. She and her fellow chapter members went without an adviser for part of the year.

“Then, one of our teachers from school stepped up to fill in, but we had trouble getting CDE teams together, going to contests and we didn’t have quite as many opportunities without an adviser,” Casey said. “I’ve learned it takes a lot of people to make one thing happen, but your chapter helps you with everything.”

Rodeos When Casey isn’t preparing for FFA events, she’s involved in archery, golf, trapshooting and FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America). She’s also a member of the Union County Saddle Club and participates in youth rodeos in Osceola and Leon.

“She’s been reserve champion in Clarke County for two years in barrel racing, and she participates in team roping and breakaway at those rodeos,” Donna said.

In events, Casey said she has improved her speed over the years but is still working to improve how she uses her hands and feet.

An East Union junior, Casey is currently interested in pursuing a career in accounting or early childhood education. She plans to continue rodeoing throughout college and likely afterward, too.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 29, 2017

POSTS: CONT. FROM | 16A

during her time in 4-H. For baking, she has used old family recipes and tried new things with those recipes.

“Stephanie, in baking, it started as simple chocolate chip cookies, but she’ll advance it every year,” said Jodi Comer, the twins’ mother. “She’ll take a simple recipe and decide ‘What can I do to change this recipe?’ She eventually led from chocolate chip cookies to a honey, butterscotch chocolate chip cookie as a healthy alternative to your chocolate chip cookie, because the honey replaces the sugar. It’s neat to see how these ideas are so simple, but as they’ve progressed, they’ve become a whole new project outside of the norm.”

Recently, Stephanie has been tinkering with a World War II-era family brownie recipe.

One of the most challenging aspects of that project was tracking down the recipe, which originally belonged to her great-greatgrandmother.

Stephanie used Facebook to reach out to distant relatives in order to find the recipe.

“It was interesting, something different,” Stephanie said. “It didn’t taste too good, but it was worth trying. This (recipe) was a bit more difficult and didn’t have a lot of instructions, so we had to guess for some stuff, like how much to add for certain ingredients and what ingredients wouldn’t work.”

Stephanie said she typically tests out recipes all year, eliminating ones she doesn’t like to make sure she’s taking her best options to the fair.

“I usually have two or three entries a year,” she said. “It gets stressful because you have to do it the day before so it doesn’t go bad at the fair. And, you have to make sure it doesn’t spoil at all.”

In addition to baking, Stephanie has entered sewing projects at the Ringgold County Fair.

She has done coasters, a body pillow, a quilt and beanbag chairs.

“The difficult part was stuffing (the chairs),” Stephanie said. “That took more time than I thought it would. That was the tedious task.”

Lacy also uses trial and error and experimentation in her projects. But, her projects are more science-based.

Lacy, who has always enjoyed science, has taken a liking to horticulture and paleontology.

One of her biggest projects has been creating fossil casts in different types of soil to determine how soil type affects fossilization.

“You have to take a long time prepping them and once you do, after you get equipment on and test everything and do it multiple times, you have to go through results and figure out which is the best out of all of these and which one was I most happy with,” Lacy said. “Sometimes they’re more research, sometimes they’re more hands on.”

Lacy said her projects are an extension of her personality. She picks projects she knows she will enjoy through her love of science and experimenting.

“Her fascination with soil – because not many people will association soil with paleontology,” Jodi said.

“To actually sit there and take a opossum skull and imprint it into the soil and pour a casting over it so you can see how fossilization is affected by different soil types, I wouldn’t have thought of doing anything like that.”

Lacy has also learned she

is good at things she never thought she would be good at, such as horticulture.

“I like science and the horticulture thing was something I was surprised to do because I never had an interest in plants and growing stuff,” Lacy said.

“But, when I was in horticulture, I first did the fossils and moved to plants. I was actually pretty good at it.”

While neither Lacy nor Stephanie has shown animals or livestock at the fair in previous years, Lacy said she plans to show rabbits this year and in the future.

She is also looking forward to doing more photography with her new camera.

In addition, she plans to go into more detail with a project on gems.

“Last year, I did this shadowbox with these gems saying their history and metaphysical properties,” Lacy said. “Some people think these gems have healing properties, but what are they? So I did a project on that and went to state. My Contributed photo plan this year is to go deep- Stephanie Post shows the clover-shaped sugar cookies er into that and try some- she baked for food and nutrition using a recipe from her great-grandmother. The recipe is a family favorite, and thing else with stones.”

4-H Being in 4-H has helped both Lacy and Stephanie grow as individuals and strengthen their personalities.

Jodi wanted both of her daughters to participate in the program because of what 4-H had done for her.

“I feel it’s very vital for any child’s growth and development,” Jodi said.

“It’s a great club with a lot of perks and advantages.

I had a great time. It was some of the best times of my youth.”

Now, as a parent, Jodi enjoys watching her daughters take their ideas and see them through to completion.

“They’ll average 10-15 projects a year, which is quite a bit for the exhibit

she learned to modify the recipe as did not have precise instructions.

Contributed photo

Lacy Post, who has a fascination with constellations, building,” Jodi said. “Over or anything they include in shows off a canvas painted as the “new” constellation the years, I’ve watched their record book, as they Ophiuchus. She inserted a battery-operated string of them start with simple proj- get older, they’ll find how lights into the canvas to create the constellation.

ects like painting a wooden flower and taking it to the fair into eventually painting an acrylic canvas of (Stephanie’s) interpretation of the River Styx. With everything they do with 4-H

important that is when applying for a job or applying for college. I think 4-H and FFA, I have always thought is a great program for growth and development.

I’m a proud 4-H mom.”

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