FEBRUARY 24, 2021
FEBRUARY 20TH - FEBRUARY 27TH, 2021 FE
:+6 VHQLRU UHćHFWV RQ ))$ FDUHHU Pandemic forced changes in experiences By Julie Buntjer
jbuntjer@dglobe.com
WORTHINGTON — FFA chapters across Minnesota were in crunch time when the COVID-19 pandemic threw a virtual wrench into everything FFA members had been preparing for. Schools temporarily shuttered, Career Development Events were put on hold and ultimately, the 2020 Minnesota FFA Convention’s array of contests were cancelled. It was a disappointing end to what could have been — perhaps should have been — a promising year for FFA members looking to earn their way back to state competition. In November 2019, Worthington High School FFA member Sophie Wietzema was a junior competing on the chapter’s meats CDE team at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team garnered eighth place and Wietzema took 63rd individual overall, high enough for a silver placing. While the national trip knocked her out of competing again on the meats team, she’d committed to helping recruit and teach a new set of contest participants with dedicated coaches Randy and Sarah Jacobs. “I recruited some kids and we were meeting every Sunday
(to practice), and then COVID came around and we couldn’t do anything,” Wietzema shared. She’s hoping to help again here in 2021, though it appears contests will likely be virtual with the pandemic still affecting gatherings. Wietzema joined the FFA meats team as a freshman, following in the footsteps of her older brother, Trevor. With their dad co-owning W-2’s Quality Meats in Worthington, it seemed like a natural fit. They grew up around the business, and had the advantage of knowing certain cuts of meats the shop packages. Joining the meats team offered the younger Wietzema an opportunity to “one-up” her brother in competition. At the Minnesota FFA Convention in May 2019, she garnered 10th high individual along with the team’s first-place finish, tying her brother’s 10th place individual finish in the 2013 contest. The 2013 team also placed first at state, advancing to nationals, where they placed 10th of 43 teams. It wasn’t just about besting her brother, though. The younger Wietzema found that despite her being around a meat shop, the contest offered many challenges. There were the more unusual cuts of meat
Julie Buntjer / The Globe
Worthington High School FFA member Sophie Wietzema has been working at W-2’s Quality Meats as part of her Supervised Agricultural Experience for the FFA. to learn, as well an exam to study for. At nationals, the 60-question test quizzed members on such things as proper cooking temperatures for specific cuts of meat and where those meats come from on the animal. “We went to Walmart and
Hy-Vee because they have a wide variety of cuts of meat,” Wietzema said of studying for the team. “We had to learn lamb (cuts) and there’s also more specific cuts in pork, which was kind of hard.” The education and experiences Wietzema gained on the
meats team have furthered her knowledge as she works parttime at W-2’s. It’s one of her two Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE) — a project that involves keeping records on time worked and dollars earned.
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