The 90th Minnesota FFA Convention concluded with the election of the six-member state officer team.

The newly elected team will serve nearly 11,000 members in Minnesota for one year. They will also spend the next year representing Minnesota, agriculture, and agricultural education at state and national levels.

Members of the 2019-2020 Minnesota FFA State Officer Team are:

• President. Lafe Aarsvold, Plainview Elgin Millville
• Vice President. Nicholas Potthoff, Martin County West
• Secretary. Elaine Dorn, Randolph
• Treasurer. Madilyn Smith, Fillmore Central
• Reporter. Britton Fuglseth, Fertile Beltram
• Sentinel. Savannah Aanerud, Morris Area

The state officer candidates were interviewed by a panel of FFA members, agricultural educators and representatives from partnering organizations.

National Chapter Award

The Eden Valley Watkins FFA Chapter received top honors for the State FFA Chapter Award, sponsored by the Minnesota FFA Foundation. FFA chapters apply for this honor by highlighting their activities in the categories of student development, chapter development and community development. Chapter applications are reviewed and scored by a series of judges who evaluate innovative ideas and accomplished goals.

Recognized chapters included: Chatfield, Deer River, Howard Lake Waverly Winsted, Plainview Elgin Millville, Princeton, Rockford, Sleepy Eye, the South Central Agriscience Academy and Springfield.

Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame

The Minnesota FFA Alumni Association recognized nine inductees to the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame. They join more than 180 members named to the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame in the past 15 years. The FFA Hall of Fame is a collaborative effort between the Minnesota FFA Association, Alumni and Foundation.

The 2019 Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame inductees are Judy Barka, Watkins; Nancy Dahlman, Cokato; Ken Hammer, Frazee; Doug Hoseck, Hector; Roy Johnson, Elk River; Gary Olson, Moorhead; Neil Pearson, Grove City; Fred Troendle, St. Charles; and Jeff Voss, Jackson.

Honorary State FFA Degree

Twenty-one outstanding teachers and business professionals received Honorary State FFA Degrees from the Minnesota FFA Association. They demonstrate success and support of FFA and agricultural education. Each year, the Minnesota FFA Association recognizes the contributions of those who have made a significant impact towards the success of the membership and the organization. Many of these individuals have served in numerous leadership roles through career development events, the state officer team, the FFA Foundation or the alumni events.

The 2019 recipients of the Honorary State FFA Degree are Rick Banes, St. Paul; Jen Boersma, Lake Benton; Dean Broadhead, Minneapolis; Jenna Cardinal, Mahnomen; Stacy Fritz, Chatfield; Connie Gores, Marshall; Wendy Haavisto, St. Paul; Amber Hanson Glaeser, Eagan; Dan Hoffman, Austin; Tiffany Hulinsky, Staples; Frances Homans, St. Paul; Doris Mold, St. Paul; Marge Larsen, New Prague; Sara Nagel Newberg, St. Paul; Jeff Nelson, New Ulm; Tracy Nelson, Cokato; Dave Peper, Alexandria; Clint Smith, Rockford; Ken Theissen, St. Cloud; Juleah Tolosky, Roseville; and Mike Wybierala, St. Paul.

The parents of the 2018-19 Minnesota FFA State Officers also received Honorary Minnesota FFA Degrees. They are Dean and Sara Taylor, Randolph; Roger and Kerri Zimmermann, Lamberton; Russell and Ann Church, Hastings; Duane and Linda Kroll, Pierz; Michael and Kristen Eaton, Pine Island; and Bruce and Wendy Mathiowetz, Belle Plaine.

State FFA Degree

Three hundred and sixty-eight Minnesota FFA members received the State FFA Degree at the awards ceremony. To be eligible for the State FFA Degree, members must earn and invest at least $2,000 into their supervised agricultural experience. Candidates must complete a minimum of two years of classroom instruction in an agricultural, food and natural resources education program.

All convention highlights and results are online at mnffa.org.

Source: Minnesota FFA, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.