Annual Colfax FFA Banquet honors Lemler and Snyder, awards 12 Greenhand and eight Chapter FFA Degrees
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Members of the Colfax FFA honored two members who died this past year and also awarded 12 Greenhand and eight Chapter FFA degrees.
Colfax FFA member Braden Lemler and Colfax FFA Alumni member Penny Snyder were honored during the Colfax FFA Chapter member awards banquet April 17 at Colfax High School.
Lemler, age 16, who was chosen to be part of the 2018-2019 FFA officer team, died in a car crash on his way home from school May 11, 2018, on county Highway M north of Colfax.
“Tonight we want to honor (Braden) by leaving a spot open at our officer table for him,” said Trevor Rothbauer, FFA vice-president.
“Braden was one of the first to volunteer, and he was great at getting other people excited about FFA events. He was a very driven individual as seen by all the hard work he put into restoring his tractor,” Rothbauer said.
“Braden was an inspiration, and to be like him should be a goal of everyone in this chapter. With this in mind, we want him to be a part of this chapter forever; therefore, we will be hanging a plaque in the classroom to remind every student (who) walks through that door to be just as inspiring, driven, dedicated and accepting as Braden,” he said.
The FFA officers, Meyer, Rothbauer, Jacob Scharlau (FFA secretary), Callie Christianson (FFA reporter), Dennis Sonnentag (FFA sentinel) and Phillip Taylor (FFA treasurer), presented Braden’s parents, Kaylee and Ryan Lemler, with a parents’ flower and a gift of chocolate, along with hugs from each officer.
Snyder, age 40, died unexpectedly August 29, 2018. She attended Colfax High School and was involved in FFA, FFA Alumni, 22ers 4-H and Pony Tales Refuge & Rehab.
Joel Hilson, president of the FFA Alumni, presented Snyder’s family — her father David C. Snyder, and sons, Tommy Anderson and Luke Anderson — with the Larry Osterberg Award.
Snyder was a founding member of the Pony Tales Refuge & Rehab Board of Directors.
Pony Tales presented a scholarship in memory of Penny Snyder from money raised during a benefit last fall at Colfax Viking Bowl for the Penny L. Snyder Memorial Scholarship for aspiring large animal veterinarians.
The scholarship was presented to Taylor Meyer, president of the Colfax FFA.
Degrees
Colfax Chapter FFA Greenhand Degree pins were awarded to Hailey Blaisdell, Colin Bohl, Jessica Charlesworth, Coltin Lemon, Brady Lawrence, Diane McClenning, Aliyah Rihn, Taylor Risler, Rachel Scharlau, Mariah Smith, Noah Swanson and Will Wanish.
The Star Greenhand award was presented to Jessica Charlesworth.
The FFA Star Greenhand award is given to a first-year member who is active in many FFA activities. The member must show advances in leadership skills and have a strong interest in the agricultural program.
Charlesworth showed strong interest by being part of many activities, including helping to set up for the annual Colfax FFA Alumni Farm Toy Show, selling fruit, and she even organized the Colfax chapter’s first-ever FFA softball tournament.
FFA members who have completed at least two years of membership receive the Chapter FFA Degree. Members are Chapter Degree members until they receive the State FFA Degree.
The following members received their Chapter FFA Degree pin: Callie Christianson, Marcus Drees, Zachary Hill, Taylor Paulus, Rylee Parker, Hunter Rebak, Tyler Thayer and Emilie Tuschl.
World Dairy Expo
Each fall, Colfax FFA members attend the World Dairy Expo in Madison where they compete in dairy contests against other schools from Wisconsin.
Those who attended and competed at the 2018 World Dairy Expo were Brooklyn Sorenson, Kylie Dalhoe, Phillip Taylor, Chace Peterson, Marcus Drees and Trevor Rothbauer.
National FFA Convention
The Colfax FFA and Colfax FFA Alumni sent FFA members to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The members had a great experience and brought back quite a lot of enthusiasm.
Those who attended the 2019 National FFA Convention were Dennis Sonnentag, Phillip Taylor and Taylor Meyer.
Conferences
This year, three Colfax FFA members attended the 212/360 Conference in Stevens Point.
During this conference, members learn more about how to strengthen their leadership skills.
Those who attended the 212/360 Conference were Trevor Rothbauer, Hailey Blaisdell and Callie Christianson.
Two of the Colfax FFA officers also attended the Halftime Conference in Stevens Point.
Both officer learned much from multiple workshops and came back with new ideas for the Colfax FFA which were implemented this year.
The officers who attended the Halftime Conference were Taylor Meyer and Phillip Taylor.
The Red Cedar Conservation Conference is an annual event held in Menomonie.
This year, FFA members were sponsored to attend with the goal of strengthening the connection between FFA and conservation groups.
The students learned about ways to benefit the environment in this area, and those who attended were Jessica Charlesworth, Aliyah Rihn and Trevor Rothbauer.
Farm Forum
This year, the Dunn County Farm Bureau sponsored Colfax FFA members who had been invited to attend the Wisconsin Farm Forum Conference.
At the conference, FFA members learned about new trends in farming and agriculture, how to have a proper discussion and how to spread the word that agriculture is taking positive steps to strengthen the environment.
Those who attended the forum were Dennis Sonnentag and Phillip Taylor.
Top sellers
The Colfax FFA’s biggest fundraiser takes place in the fall when FFA members sell fruit, cheese, a nut mix, sausage, and added this year, pecans.
Special recognition was given to the top sellers: Will Wanish (first place); Phillip Taylor (second place); and Dennis Sonnentag (third place).
SAE
Colfax FFA members in the Supervised Agricultural Experience are dedicated to working in an agriculture setting.
These students asked Tiffany Schaffner, Colfax High School agriculture teacher, to observe their program, and included Jacob Scharlau at Pleasant Valley Tree Farm; Coltin Lemon as the Colfax Greenhouse manager; and Diane McClenning.
Every student in an agricultural class also must have an SAE to demonstrate proficiency.
At state, FFA members are competing with other members at state and rank from “disqualified” to “participant, bronze, silver and gold.”
Placing at state is a huge accomplishment, and the following FFA members will be receiving a pin from State but received certificates at the Colfax FFA banquet: Agricultural Sales — Jacob Scharlau (silver); Dairy Placement — Dennis Sonnentag (silver); and Dairy Placement — Phillip Taylor (silver).
Career development
This year, Colfax FFA had one member who competed in the Career Development Event Speaking Contest.
The contest covers a variety of topics, such as group discussion, an agricultural topic, parliamentary pro, job interview, prepared speaking, extemporaneous speaking, or demonstrating FFA knowledge.
The following member competed at the district speaking contest and advanced to the sectional speaking contest: Phillip Taylor.
The Colfax FFA chapter also competed in the Career Development Events Competition at UW-River Falls this year.
One team studied hard during their own time, and their hard work paid off because they will be competing at the state competition in Madison during the last part of April.
Colfax FFA members who received state-bound t-shirts for the Wildlife team were Chace Peterson, Phillip Taylor, Jackson Hellmann and Trevor Rothbauer.
Star Chapter
The Star Chapter FFA award was presented to Trevor Rothbauer.
DeKalb Leadership
The DeKalb Leadership award was presented to Taylor Meyer, and her name will be engraved on the plaque in the agriculture room.
The DeKalb Leadership Award goes to a senior with a superior record of scholarship, leadership and agriculture work experience.
Honorary award
The Colfax FFA recognizes someone each year who has gone above and beyond to help advance agricultural education in FFA.
Past recipients have included farmers, Board of Education members, FFA chapter advisors, local businesses and others who have given outstanding support.
This year, the Colfax FFA recognized John Nelson, who taught agriculture at Colfax for five years before resigning his position at Colfax High School last spring.
Alumni scholarships
Joel Hilson, president of the Colfax FFA Alumni, presented the FFA Alumni Leadership Scholarship for $500 to Trevor Rothbauer.
The Colfax FFA Alumni Agriculture Scholarship for $500, was presented to Taylor Meyer.
The scholarships can be used for any post high school program at a college and will be paid upon the completion of a semester with a grade point average of 2.5 on a four-point scale.
Alumni awards
The Colfax FFA Alumni Award was presented to Solomon Plank and his construction crew.
The Larry Osterberg Award was presented to Penny Snyder and accepted by her family, father David Snyder and sons Tommy and Luke Anderson.
Seniors
The following Colfax FFA seniors were recognized with a pin: Tommy Anderson, Daelynn Blodgett, Dalton Bradford, Callie Christianson, Emmie Edwards, Lloyd Fransway-Schneider, Jackson Hellmann, Trinity Krueger, Taylor Meyer, Trevor Rothbauer, Chris Scharlau, Dalton Schotter, Brooklyn Sorensen, Emma Stone and Ben Thompson.