Iowa FFA members compete
at National FFA Convention
DES MOINES, Iowa — Two Iowa FFA members, Jessica Tekippe from Manchester and Emma Flemmig from Glidden, will be National Stars Over America Finalists at the 80th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. Oct. 24-27.
Tekippe and Flemmig are among 85 Iowa FFA members who will be honored with the highest Degree that can be bestowed upon an FFA member, the American FFA Degree. 3,169 FFA members nationwide will be receiving the American FFA Degree or 6 percent of all FFA members.
Tekippe and Flemmig were selected from the entire pool of 3,169 American FFA Degree recipients to be recognized for outstanding achievement in their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects and FFA activities. Four students are recognized in each of four areas, Ag Production, Agribusiness, Ag Placement, and Agriscience.
As a high school freshman, Tekippe had a placement program in dairy and beef production at Sun Valley Farms. Tekippe has grown her SAE program to include placement in dairy production, beef production, crop production, ag mechanics and ag communications working over 9000 hours. Tekippe was the National Dairy Placement Proficiency Award Winner at the 79th National FFA Convention. Tekippe is currently a senior at Iowa State University majoring in Dairy Science.
As a sophomore, Flemmig established a Botany Agriscience Fair Project as her primary SAE. Flemmig collaborated with Syngenta Seeds in Glidden, Iowa to develop her own experiment determining the fungal pathogen resistance patterns of genetically modified corn varieties. Since that time, Flemmig has spent two summers working in her test plot gaining extensive knowledge about plant genetics, biotechnology, microbiology, record keeping, and presenting her scientific findings. Flemmig was a 2005 World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan Intern at CIMMYT – The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico. In addition, Flemmig was one of eight National FFA Agriscience Student of the Year Finalists in 2004. Flemmig is currently a junior at Iowa State University majoring in Agronomy.
Also, Jessica Shifflet of the Osceola Big Chief FFA Chapter at Clarke Community Schools in Osceola, Iowa, will compete as Iowa’s 2007 National FFA Officer Candidate. Shifflett will participate in a wide variety of interviews during the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. Six FFA members will be named National FFA Officers at the final session of the convention. If elected, Shifflett will take a year away from college to travel the United States visiting with FFA members, advisors, and supporters. National FFA Officers also guide the direction of the largest Career and Technical Student Organization in the country. Shifflett served as the Iowa FFA Vice President from the South Central District in 2004-05. Shifflett is a junior at Iowa State University majoring in Agricultural Education.
Recycling program starts
at Parkway Local Schools
ROCKFORD, Ohio — This year, the Parkway FFA Chapter renewed a recycling program at the high school to help raise money for the Children’s Medical Center.
The chapter received a Building Our American Community Grant for $2,000 to purchase blue recycling tubs for all classrooms and containers to collect cans and plastic bottles. The chapter started the recycling program last year but decided to make a bigger step this year by collecting more than just paper and start collecting, plastic bottles, cans and cardboard at the school. We have students that go throughout the schools on a regular basis that collect the recyclables.
Last year, during FFA Week, the chapter had a contest on what class could collect the most cans throughout the school as a fundraiser for the Children’s Medical Center. The chapter raised nearly $1,000 for the organization. This year the chapter hopes to raise more money for the medical center.
The Parkway FFA Chapter in cooperation of the Mercer County Solid Waste received a grant from the Department of Natural Resources for a trailer to be placed in the back of the school for all of our recyclables.
The FFA Chapter would like to expand their program by inviting the community to become involved. The chapter is asking the community to start collecting tin cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, glass bottles, aluminum cans and paper for the recycling program. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Medical Center. The chapter is having the drop off day every 3rd Saturday of every month, starting Oct. 20. The drop off times will be between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. behind the school.
4-H annual meeting
and volunteer recognition
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A celebration of youth will occur when the Allen County 4-H Board of Directors conducts their annual meeting, Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 at Don Hall’s Guesthouse.
The combined meeting will recognize the outstanding efforts of over 260 4-H volunteers this past year, and the election of new directors to serve a three-year term on the 4-H Board.
The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a meal at 7 p.m. Attendees are asked to contact the Extension Office by Oct. 25 to indicate participation in the evening program.
The 4-H program is a product of the Purdue Extension Service.
It is the policy of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to the programs and facilities without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation or disability.
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