ND FFA Roughrider Supported by the State Board for Career & Technical Education
Shipwrecked
by: Brian Anderson, NE Region VP
Volume 28 :Issue 1 For this year’s 101 conference, your State Officers have decided to make our seminars based on a Shipwrecked theme! A ship runs aground on a remote island in the middle of the ocean with a variety of passengers aboard. On the island, the stranded men and woman meet King Mayormaynot, who wants to treat (or possibly eat!) them for dinner. Due to his slightly different appetite, the newly stranded passengers know they have to get off the island fast. Although the passengers would never admit it, they know very little about how to work as a team. All of them feel that they should be the ones in charge instead of working together. With dinner time approaching , they must begin to work together as a team in order to get off the island before it’s too late. Full of humor and with your state officer team, 101 is sure to be an exciting, memorable time that will also boost understanding of the necessity of teamwork and leadership. Your state officer team is excited to introduce the fundamentals of FFA in a fun and exciting way. We look forward to seeing you, and can’t wait to share laughs and memories at this year’s Winter Leadership Conference!!
December 2012
Special points of interest: “Shipwrecked” 101 Conference 212˚/360˚ Conference National Convention re-cap National FFA Week Fall CDE Events
Inside this issue: Fall CDE Events
2
National Convention Results
3
360˚Conference/Rally to Fight Hunger
4
National FFA Week/ 212˚ Conference
5
Project Linus
6
The Diaries of Dan-2012 National Convention
7
District Leadership
8
Page 2
Fall CDE Events
ND FFA Roughrider
by Phillip Wanner, Secretary
This fall, many FFA members had the opportunity to express their talents in different areas of competition. On September 22, students gathered in the town of Gackle, North Dakota to compete in the State Range Judging CDE. This contest, which I had never seen done before, consists of judging the quality of different land sites as well as identifying different range plants. On a beautiful September morning, it was fun to watch members displaying their talents. The Hebron FFA Chapter came out on top with the high team award, and the high individual was Alyssa Wehri of the Hebron FFA Chapter. Congratulations on bringing home top honors to both! After District Leaderships concluded, there was still one more
task to complete before National Convention. We still had to decide which Parliamentary Procedure team was going to represent our great state down in Indy! As the State Parli Pro contest kicked off on the morning of October 10, there were 16 teams ready to show off their talents at conducting an official meeting using parliamentary law. All were vying for that chance to compete at National Convention. They were, in Pool A: Max, Hebron, Harvey, Killdeer, Kenmare, Maddock, Napoleon, and Kindred. In Pool B, there were Fessenden/Bowdon, Williston, Wishek, Bowman County, Wahpeton, New Salem, Finley/ Sharon, and Garrison. Two teams advanced from each pool to the final round, and those four chapters were the chapters of Hebron, Max,
Wishek, and Garrison. After a very heated final round and some added suspense from our State President, Dan Bjertness, it was soon discovered that the first place trophy was heading to the Max FFA Chapter! They certainly earned it, and represented our state well at the National Convention in October, taking a silver award. Congratulations to all chapters who made it to the state event. All performed very well and should know that they are some of the best meeting-runners (if that is a word) in the nation! With that, Fall CDEs came to a close. We are now headed into he winter season, which means leadership conferences, Winter CDEs, National FFA Week, and more! Let’s keep on getting excited for the upcoming season!
Volume 28 :Issue 1
Page 3
2012 National Convention Results Ag Communications CDE: Kindred Team — 10th Place Gold Team. Ashley Stoppleworth the national winner!
Ag Technology & Mechanical Systems CDE: Carrington Team —Gold Team Ag Sales CDE: Kindred Team — 4th Place Gold Team. Dan Bjertness place 2nd overall AgriScience Fair: Kristina Hotchkiss from Richland 44 – Silver Creed CDE: Gavin Muscha from Richland 44 – Bronze Courtesy Corps: Trista Crimmons from McClusky, Calvin Aichele from Beulah, and Rebecca Nord from Enderlin
Dairy Foods CDE: Leeds Team — Gold Team. Seth Bisbee places 10th overall Dairy Cattle Selection: Carrington Team — Silver Team Dairy Cattle Showmanship: Keela Burt from Mandan — Gold Extemporaneous Public Speaking: Rochelle Bitz from Napoleon Farm Business Management: Wishek Team — 6th Place Gold Team Floriculture CDE: Fessenden/Bowdon Team — Gold Team award Food Science & Tech. CDE: Carrington Team - Participates Honorary American Degree: Mike Hergert from the Red River Farm Network, Dennis Walsh from First International Bank and Trust, Ken Votava (instructor) from Finley/Sharon FFA Chapter, Lane Moellenkamp (instructor) from Fessenden/Bowdon FFA Chapter, Larry Sitter (former instructor at Towner) Horse Evaluation CDE: Granville Team – Bronze Team Livestock Evaluation: Medina Team – Gold Team Meats Judging CDE: Rugby Team — 3rd Place Team, Matt Johnson places 4th, Matt Mattern places 8th Nursery and Landscape CDE: Minot Team — Silver Team Parliamentary Procedure: Max Team — Silver Team Prepared Public Speaking: McKenzie Scheresky from Max — Bronze Talent: Jonah Nelson and Joe Wright from Kindred Veterinary Science Teams: Rugby and New Salem teams National Proficiency Finalists: Justin Zahradka from Park River earns a trip to Costa Rica for his Agriscience Research- Plant Systems SAE and Matthew Knudson from Maddock is named the National Proficiency winner in Turf Grass Management, sponsored by the ND Ag Products Utilization Commission Flag Bearer: Casey Ricker from Kindred
Page 4
360˚Conference
by Andrew Kreidt, SW Vice President
Get ready for a roller coaster ride! The 360˚ Leadership Conference will take you up, down, and all around, developing a leadership vision for yourself that you can take back home and share with your chapter. After this roller coaster ride you’ll end up in the same spot you started at, but with new perspectives on ideas as well as new skills to help you achieve your goals. Come join us on January 5th and 6th for the 360˚Conference it’s sure to be a blast!
********************************************
FFA Rally to Fight Hunger Feeding the World-Starting at Home by Justin Zahradka, NW Vice President
We are all connected to food, whether we consume it or produce it. Feeding the rapidly increasing word population is a concern all across the world. In the United States, one in six Americans will experience food insecurity within the upcoming year. Today, millions of Americans struggle with hunger. National FFA’s Feeding the World – Starting at Home initiative kicked off at the 85th National FFA Convention and Expo. The project is a compelling educational movement to help students understand the issues and effects of global hunger. Students are first educated and follow with action. During the convention, more than 10,000 FFA members from across the country came together to prepare over one million meals. Half of these meals were distributed throughout the Indianapolis community and the others were sent across seas to families around the world.
Hunger is all around us, but it is our hope as leaders to make it history. Packing meals is just one way to fight hunger. Having a conversation on how to fight hunger is another. We are needed to find out what is taking place in our communities. Hunger is so widespread that often we don’t see it. However, we can learn what needs are present in our communities and create ways to address them. Reaching out to community food banks or establishing a community garden are easy ways to start. Helping someone who might not know where their next meal may come from offers a rewarding feeling. Therefore, ND FFA, I challenge you to become aware of the hunger that affects our communities and world. Food insecurity is not something that will go away very easily, but with help from each one of us it can be reduced. Let’s help feed the world, starting at home.
Volume 28 :Issue 1
Page 5
by Phillip Wanner, Secretary Word has it that the third week in February is a pretty big deal. I mean, how can it not be? It’s about 2 weeks after the Super Bowl (Hopefully the Denver Broncos go all the way right?!), George Washington’s birthday is that week, and it is usually a great time to go ice skating and skiing! Oh, and one more thing, it is National FFA Week! This year, one of the best weeks of the year falls on the days of February 18-22, and there is much reason for excitement. National FFA Week is the time of year when we as FFA members promote FFA and how great our organization is! With this year’s theme, GROW, it will surely be a week full of fun-filled activities that will lead to growth in many members across our state and nation. Many activities that tend to make National FFA Week exciting include Ag. Olympics, yummy Pie and Ice Cream Socials, Chili Cook-offs, Scavenger Hunts, Chapter Recruitment, reaching out to our communities, and whatever else can be thought up! The sky is the limit during National FFA Week. So let’s rev our engines and get our chapters rolling. Remember to come up with as many crazy and fun ideas as possible to not only have a great time, but also to promote the outstanding organization we all love throughout our communities. North Dakota FFA, get excited, and let’s get ready to GROW!!!
********************************************
212˚ Conference
by: Bailey Dockter, State Parliamentarian
Are you ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? Well there’s a conference for you! It’s called 212 Conference. As freshmen, members went to 101 Conference to get basic leadership skills. Now it’s time to bump up the abilities. At the conference, members will be engaged in a variety of different leadership aspect sessions that are coordinated by facilitators. By doing the different activities, you will meet others from around the state and have fun while at them! Besides the sessions, there will be an exciting dance and a rewarding community service project to partake in!
Page 6
ND FFA Roughrider
Project Linus‌..Winter Leadership Conference
eT B
re e h
by Phillip Wanner, Secretary Remember that time when you were 3 days old, and your mommy always held you and made sure you were wrapped up in a nice, warm, blankie? Well, me neither. But you know what? It happened to every one of us! Guess what FFA members, we have the opportunity to give kids everywhere this exact same luxury. Granted, these kids may not be 3 days old, but you get the point. During Winter Leadership Conferences on January 5 & 6, 2013, join the State Officer team as we embark on a very unique and fun-filled service project of creating our very own fleece blankets! We will be partnering up with Project Linus to make blankets that will be used as donations for kids that are victims of disasters, living in hospitals, living in homeless shelters, or facing other hardships. Our goal is to make approximately 150 blankets from 6:30 -8:30 p.m. on the Saturday evening of Winter Conferences. We will have all of the materials there to complete our desired task; all we need‌..is YOU! With your help, we can definitely make a positive difference in the lives of children everywhere! So live by our motto: Living to Serve, and help us out in this activity that you can count on to be both entertaining and rewarding!
Page 7
Volume 28 :Issue 1
The Diaries of Dan: National FFA Convention 2012 by Daniel Bjertness, President Man! It is hard to believe that Na onal Conven on is already a month and a half behind us now. I guess me flies when you are having fun. Unless you are a frog, then me is fun while you are having flies! Although I did not eat any flies, I had a blast at this year’s Na onal FFA Conven on. I believe I can speak for many of us, hopefully all, that this year’s conven on was one of the best in terms of fun and produc vity. Many mes when students are having fun, we tend to cause our advisors worry. For the most part, I believe this worry is unnecessary. As a state officer team, we have been asked if it is legal to have as much fun as we do. To determine if we have broken any laws while having a fair share of fun mes, especially at Na onal Conven on, I have looked to the laws of Indiana. Law #1: You may not ride your horse in excess of ten miles per hour nor may you pass a horse on the street. Luckily, for us on the first day of Na onal Conven on we were picked up in a limousine. However, we sadly had to e our horses to the hitching post outside the airport for the week. For me, it was the first me ever riding in a fancy vehicle of that caliber. I must admit, it was an awesome experience. It was a quick ride to our hotel, The Wes n, where we stepped out of the car with style among the other state officers, who were arriving in mini-vans. Law #2: Baths may not be taken between the months of October and March. Another law unbroken! Just kidding, I am GLAD to say I broke this law. I think the rest of the State Officers are glad too. It would get pre y smelly if none of us took a shower during the trip. It would have go en especially smelly a er the sweat we worked up at the North Dakota-Montana Dance on Thursday night. Speaking of which, I must say it was one of my favorites. Lots of good music, fun dances, and countless people all made the 2012 Naonal Conven on dance one to remember! Law #3: No one may catch a fish with his bare hands. Ok, this law is ridiculous. I believe that if you can catch a fish with your bare hands you should be applauded, not arrested. Either way, I guess a law is a law. It’s a good thing that we did not need to catch our food for the week. Instead, we were treated to some great food such as Steak-N-Shake, Shula’s Steakhouse, Old Spaghe Factory, and a few banquet suppers. One of my favorites had to have been Shula’s Steakhouse where Jus n, Andrew, and I competed in the 48-ounce steak challenge. It was the best three pounds of steak I have ever had, and I got my fill for the next month! David had a pair of lamb chops that had to have been from a 1200-pound animal. The chops were the size of David! Looking back, it appears that we came out well-behaved individuals a er all! In conclusion, this year’s Na onal Conven on was the best I have ever a ended. Whether it was the fun memories, the great food, or the numerous awards we were presented, they all made this year one to remember. On behalf of the State Associa on, I am thrilled to say how proud we are with how our members conducted themselves. I can honestly say I do not remember a year when North Dakota has done as well as we did this year. What a way to represent ND! Keep up the good work and I am excited to see everyone at Winter Leadership Conference!
Page 8
District Leadership
ND FFA Roughrider by David Leier SE Vice President
October 1st -4th was an exciting and busy week for the state officers and staff. The team was split up to cover the different regions around the state. Half of the team along with state executive secretary, Aaron Anderson, took the west half of the state and the other half of the team traveled with the owl himself, state FFA Advisor Mr. Steve Zimmerman. Officers traveling with Mr. Aaron Anderson were State President Dan Bjertness, State SW Region VP Andrew Kreidt, and State NE Region VP Brian Anderson. Officers traveling with Mr. Zimmerman were State Secretary Phillip Wanner, State SE Region VP David Leier, State NW Region VP Justin Zahradka, and State Parlia-
2012 District Leadership
mentarian Bailey Dockter. In the east, the group started out in District 4 hosted by Park River with Finley/Sharon being named Chapter of the Day. The other half of our team in the west was in District 8 hosted by Dickinson with Bowman being named Chapter of the Day. The next day the east group was in District 3 hosted by Rugby with Chapter of the Day being the Harvey FFA Chapter. Our group in the west was in District 1 hosted by Williston with Kenmare being named Chapter of the Day. The next day we ended up in Wahpeton where Kindred was named Chapter of the Day. The group in the west was in Minot where Max was named Chapter of the day. The final day of district leaderships
the group of the east was in Jamestown with Napoleon being named Chapter of the Day. The group in the west was in Center where New Salem was named Chapter of the Day. I hope that friendships were created, memories were made, and leadership was ignited for each one of you. I would like to congratulate everyone that participated. I hope that district leadership was as fun and rewarding as it was for us officers. Also, good luck to all those who will be representing their respective districts at the State FFA Convention in June.
Page 9
Volume 28 :Issue 1 ND FFA members receiving a check from Pioneer at National Convention
Justin Zahradka
2012 American FFA Degree
Merry Christmas
Mr. Quam & Members, Des Lacs Burlington
ND’s newest FFA Chapter… Edgeley, ND
North Dakota FFA Association
FFA Mission….
Career & Technical Education 600 E Boulevard Ave Dept 270 Bismarck, ND 58505-0610
“The National FFA Organization is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education”.
Phone: 701-328-3185 Fax: 701-328-1255 E-mail: Supervisor, Ag Education Steve Zimmerman: szimmerm@nd.gov Assistant Supervisor, Ag Education Aaron Anderson: aaronanderson@nd.gov
FFA Motto….
Administrative Assistant, Ag Education: Beth Allen: ballen@nd.gov
“Learning To Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living To Serve”.
website: NDFFA.org
Upcoming Events…….
December 6 January 5-6 February 8 February 18-22 March 22
101˚/212˚/360˚ Reg due in State Office Winter Leadership Conference NDSU-Little I National FFA Week Winter FFA CDE –Minot