Hundreds of Wisconsin FFA members from across the state participate in speaking competitions at the district, section and state levels. As members test their abilities to speak in front of an audience, public speaking contests are among the most popular activities in FFA.

The top prepared speaking, extemporaneous speaking, creed, discussion meet and parliamentary procedure contest winners in each section were invited to compete at the state level during the Wisconsin FFA Convention, held June 10-13 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.

Following is information about each contest and a list of the top finishers. The top winner in each category will represent Wisconsin at the National FFA Convention, Oct. 30-Nov. 2 in Indianapolis.

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 questions from three judges.

The state winner is Ben Styer, Menomonie FFA. His speech is titled “CRISPR: Enhancing the Future of Agriculture.” The first runner-up is Corrita DeValk, Wausau FFA. The third-place winner is Melissa Konkol, Big Foot FFA. Taking fourth place is Kelsey Oman, Amery FFA. Styer, who placed third last year in the state FFA prepared speaking contest, also competed in the extemporaneous speaking contest finals this year, finishing as first runner-up.

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 is Hailey Clausen, Amery FFA. The first runner-up is Ben Styer, Menomonie FFA. In third place is Jacqueline Wisinski, Stevens Point FFA. Winning fourth place is Tyler Giddings, Wittenberg-Birnamwood FFA.

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

Kelly Herness, Whitehall FFA, is the state winner. Owen Rosenboom, St. Croix Central FFA, is the first runner-up. Ryan Raether, Thorp FFA, won third place. Emily Schultz, Adams-Friendship FFA, is 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 is Cheyenne Burgess, Shullsburg FFA. Anna Kitzerow, Plymouth FFA, is the first runner-up. Gracelyn Footit, Mauston FFA, took third place. Lorelei Sawyer, DeSoto FFA, is 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 five to seven members, has 10 minutes to demonstrate “parliamentary abilities” while discussing the topic given to them by the judges.

Denmark FFA is the state winner in this contest. Team members include: Joe Schlies, Emily Nelsen, Owen Petrich, Abby Wanek, Autumn Kaminski and Katrina Hoesly. Clear Lake FFA is the first runner-up. Big Foot FFA finished in third place, while Shullsburg FFA is the fourth-place team.