Hundreds of FFA members from across the state participate in speaking competitions at the district, section and state levels. Public speaking contests are among the most popular activities in FFA, as they offer members the opportunity to test their ability to speak in front of audiences. The winners of the prepared speaking, extemporaneous speaking, creed, discussion meet and parliamentary procedure contests in each section were invited to compete at the state level during the Wisconsin FFA Convention, held June 11-14 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.

Following is information about each contest and a list of the top finishers. The top finisher in each category will represent Wisconsin at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Oct. 24-27.

Contest winners
The prepared speaking contest is designed to recognize FFA members for their ability to present factual information on specific agricultural issues in a well-thought-out and logical manner in a competitive setting. Speeches are six to eight minutes in length. Participants also answer five minutes of judges’ questions.

The state winner was Dylan Clausen, Amery FFA Chapter. His speech was titled “The Comeback Crop: What Industrial Hemp Means for American Agriculturists.” The first runner-up was Gaelan Combs, Verona FFA Chapter. The third-place winner was Ben Styer, Menomonie FFA Chapter. Taking fourth place was Alexis Luedtke, Beaver Dam FFA Chapter.

The extemporaneous speaking contest provides an opportunity for members to develop the skills to speak about a given subject without having much time to prepare or rehearse. Students draw a topic and are given just 30 minutes to prepare a four- to six-minute speech. They must also answer five minutes of questions from judges about their speech.

The state winner was Anna Kitzerow, Plymouth FFA Chapter. The first runner-up was Ashley Hagenow of the Rio FFA Chapter. In third place was Nicole Broege, Janesville Craig FFA Chapter. Winning fourth place was Ben Dresdow, Fort Atkinson FFA Chapter.

In the creed speaking contest, participants recite the FFA Creed and answer three questions to test their understanding of the creed.

Libby Hasheider, Sauk Prairie FFA Chapter, was the state winner. Ashley Valeria, Pulaski FFA Chapter, was the first runner-up. Lashawna Vogel, Denmark FFA Chapter, won third place. Lucy Curtis, Amery FFA Chapter, was the fourth-place winner.

The discussion meet contest tests the abilities of FFA members in cooperatively discussing ag issues, exchanging ideas and information, and finding solutions to problems.

The state winner in the discussion meet contest was Emma Buss, Belmont FFA Chapter. Alexis Kwak of the Prairie Farm FFA Chapter was the first runner-up. Noah Sackmann, Medford FFA Chapter, took third place. Logan Pluim, Waupun FFA Chapter, was the fourth-place winner.

The parliamentary procedure contest develops leadership ability and increases knowledge in conducting meetings using proper parliamentary procedure. Each parliamentary procedure team, consisting of from five to seven members, has 10 minutes to demonstrate “parliamentary abilities” while discussing the topic given to them by the judges.

Pardeeville FFA Chapter was the state winner in this contest. Team members included: Jenna Olson, Alexis Crofty, Natalie Farrington, Kayla Guenther, McKenna Cook and Dylan Anderson. Cochrane-Fountain City FFA was the first runner-up. Amery FFA finished in third place, while Denmark FFA was the fourth-place team.