FFA Stars Named At National Convention
Nov 6, 2006 4:06 PM
Four young people from across the country earned their respective National FFA Star status at the 79th National FFA Convention held Oct. 25-28 in Indianapolis, IN.
Neal Ely, a 22-year-old from Grafton, NE, was named the 2006 Star in Agribusiness. He owns Ely Farms Pickled Asparagus Spears. The product is developed through a family recipe and is marketed to gourmet, specialty and gift, grocery and liquor stores in Nebraska and surrounding states. Ely worked with the University of Nebraska Food Processing Facility to develop the pickled asparagus, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
He is the son of Michael and Tami Ely. He is a member of the Sutton FFA Chapter where his advisor is Tom Hofmann. Currently, Ely attends the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is pursing a degree in Agribusiness.
Twenty-year-old Oneida, IL, native Andrew Bowman followed in his grandfather and father’s footsteps to become a farmer, and was ultimately named FFA’s Star Farmer.
What began as a ten-acre project has since grown into a 316-acre operation. He hopes to revamp the technology for the farm, installing accounting and record-keeping software and an updated filing system. He also would like to purchase chemical and fertilizer application equipment to enhance cost savings. These advancements in technology will result in the farm becoming more profitable, allowing for acreage expansion and an increase in farm efficiency.
Bowman is a student at the University of Illinois, pursuing a degree in crop sciences, emphasizing in agribusiness management. Bowman is a member of the R.O.W.V.A. FFA Chapter and his FFA advisor is Rodney Main. He is the son of Lynn and Sally Bowman.
Ryan Scholz of Newberg, OR, was named the 2006 Star in Agriscience. A senior at Oregon State University double majoring in animal science and biosource research, Scholz has learned that his desire to be a large animal vet and his passion for research can go hand-in-hand.
During his freshman year, he began working with a professor in the department of animal science researching the utilization of sheep to control non-native plants. Through his research, he discovered that sheep do not naturally eat a certain type of roughage, but if they could be convinced to eat it, they would not suffer any ill effects. This study has provided Scholz with countless opportunities in livestock research and medicine. This has secured his original desire to practice veterinarian medicine.
This 21-year-old’s career goal is to practice large-animal medicine for several years, and then expand his practice to include a consulting business serving farmers, ranchers and veterinarians in rural areas. He is the son of Gregg and Mary Ann Scholz and is a member of the Newberg FFA Chapter. His advisor is Robert Beckner.
Matthew Repinski of Amherst, WI, began working for his uncle at the age of 10. He helped feed and care for the livestock. Even at that young age, he knew that he had a passion for agriculture. Today, those efforts earned him the 2006 Star in Agricultural Placement award, one of the FFA organization’s highest honors.
Over the past few years, he has worked at Gordondale Farms, a large dairy operation. At Gordondale, Repinski was able to work plenty of hours and get a lot of hands on experience. When he started on the farm, they were milking approximately 350 cows and farrowing more than 300 sows. His main responsibilities included construction on a new dairy facility and daily farm chores.
Currently, the farm milks 900 cows, three times a day. They also have a sow farrow to finish operation of 300 hogs. Repinski’s duties vary and include harvesting crops and feeding and caring for the livestock.
When Repinski began his freshman year at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, he knew he would need a new job to financially support himself. Thus, he is now employed at the University of Wisconsin Swine Research and Training Center. At UW-SRTC, he performs a number of tasks including feeding, cleaning, dealing with animal health and breeding and some record keeping. He is currently a junior at the University of Wisconsin, double majoring in dairy science and agronomy. He hopes to secure a position with a large nutrition operation where he can work with farmers to make the most of their production agriculture operations.
The 21 year-old is the son of Mark and Mary Repinski and is a member of the Amherst FFA Chapter where his advisor is Timothy Pederson.
Each of the four winners was given their award during an onstage convention ceremony and received a plaque and an award of $4,000. The runners-up in each category also received plaques and $2,000 each.
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