Submitted photo Eleven FFA members from Sleepy Eye were interviewed for their State FFA Degrees on Thursday, February 16, 2023. Pictured left to right – front: Adam Johnson, Gunny Coulson, Grecia Navarro, Cristal Schmidtknecht. Middle: Sophie Gustafson, Leisha Martinez, Gracie Sellner. Back: Jacob Price, Jade Sellner, Brooke Arneson, Conor Strong.

The Region VI FFA interviews were held on Thursday, Feb. 16 for Region Office, State Degrees, and Region Star Awards.

This year, eleven Sleepy Eye FFA members applied for State FFA Degrees. The State FFA Degree is the second highest degree attainable in FFA, behind the American FFA Degree.

In order to receive a State FFA Degree, the following qualifications must be met. Having a Chapter FFA Degree, being an active FFA member, completing at least 2 years of agricultural classroom instruction, having earned and invested at least $2,000 or worked 300 hours through an SAE, as well as completing at least 25 hours of community service.

The members who applied for the State FFA Degree included: Brooke Arneson, Gunny Coulson, Sophie Gustafson, Adam Johnson, Leisha Martinez, Grecia Navarro, Jake Price, Cristal Schmidtknecht, Gracie Sellner, Jade Sellner, and Conor Strong.

Adam Johnson Runner Up Region VI Star Farmer. Adam’s project is raising broiler chickens, processing them, and selling them to customers directly.

Jacob Price was named Runner Up Region VI Star in Agribusiness. His project includes his work at Kibble Equipment and his own Lawn Mowing Business.

Gracie Sellner was named the Runner Up Region VI Star in Ag. Production Placement. Her project is in Dairy Production Placement as she has worked at Sellner Farms in the Sleepy Eye area.

Region VI Officer Interviews were also held. Becoming a Region Officer helps FFA members be more active in FFA beyond the chapter level. Serving on an elite team of FFA Members simulates working with others in a professional work environment.

Chloe Howe and Noemi Rodriguez served as the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter voting delegates for the Region Officer Interviews. They voted on the 2023-24 Region VI Officer Slate. Leisha Martinez is currently serving as the Region VI 2022-2023 Reporter.

FFA helps teach specialized skills in hundreds of agriculture career areas. Opportunities such as this can add up to big life achievements!

The FFA members will receive their State FFA Degrees at the State FFA Convention in April at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.