Left to right: Clayton Saeugling, Nate Moen, Garrett Schwanke, Adam Freund

The Atlantic FFA Chapter placed 6th as a team in the annual Iowa FFA Agronomy Career Development Event held at Iowa State University in Ames on June 4, 2015. Members of the 6th place team included: Adam Freund, Clayton Saeugling, Garrett Schwanke, and Nate Moen. Their agricultural education instructor and FFA Advisor is Mr. Eric Miller. A special thank you to Aaron Saeugling for assisting the team. Team member Clayton Saeugling said, ”This was a very enjoyable, but challenging contest. This is my favorite Career Development Event of the year. We get to compete against many other great teams, to place 6th was a big accomplishment.”

FFA teams including 90 individuals from 27 chapters participated in this year’s Career Development Event designed to provide the student an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of Agronomy. Activities included demonstration of skills and problem solving in Agronomy, including crop, weed, insect and seed identification; crop and seed judging and evaluation; and grain grading. A written examination and computer application activities were included along with a team problem solving competition.

The Iowa State University Department of Agronomy hosted the event and provided T-shirts to all participants. The Agronomy Career Development Event was coordinated and conducted by Mr. Dennis Miller and other faculty and staff with the Agronomy Department at Iowa State University in Ames. The Iowa Crop Improvement Association provided lunch to all participants in the event.

Front Row Left to right:
Secretary Of Agriculture Bill Northey, Haley Carlson, Emily Saeugling, Braden Bean, Cale Pellett, Kyle Redinbaugh
Back Row: Eric Miller, Adam Freund, Garrett Schwanke, Clayton Saeugling, Representative Jack Drake

LEWIS, Iowa—More than 35 high school ag students from FFA chapters across Iowa recently had the opportunity to get an up-close look at several agricultural topics during a field day hosted by Wyffels Hybrids. Students heard from industry experts and participated in hands-on activities with real-world applications.

Students learned from keynote speaker, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, about careers in ag and the growing need for talented and driven people in agriculture.

“I think the future is important and young adults need to realize they need to start thinking about their future and what they want to do with it. This event is a great way to layout the different careers in agriculture to better understand some interests that the students may have. With the growing industry there are many opportunities for the next generation,” Bill Northey said.
Members learned about topics ranging from livestock feed rations and food science, to agronomy and precision ag, to horticulture, native species and ag engineering.

“The field day was another great educational opportunity for the local FFA Chapters. I really enjoyed day and hope that Wyffels continues this program,” Atlantic FFA Chapter member Haley Carlson said.

This event continues to grow in popularity with high school students as it provided a large array of information on agriculture, and potential careers.

“The Wyffels Hybrids FFA Field Day for the Future has continued to grow in its exposure throughout southwest and west central Iowa in its four years. I continue to be impressed with the interest and interaction these future leaders of ag have, and show during our training,” said Bill Backhaus, Region Manager for Wyffels Hybrids.

Wyffels Hybrids donated $25 to FFA chapters for each student participant, plus a matching donation to the Iowa FFA Foundation.

About Wyffels Hybrids
Wyffels Hybrids, headquartered in Geneseo, Ill., is one of the nation’s largest independent seed corn companies. Focusing strictly on developing and marketing elite corn hybrids, the company is dedicated to providing corn growers in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Ohio River Valley with exceptional products, the latest agronomic information, and unmatched customer service and product support. To learn more or request information, visit www.wyffels.com or call 1-800-369-7833.