Area teams take top honors at Minnesota State FFA Convention

WORTHINGTON — Southwest Minnesota FFA members have proven they know their stuff when it comes to judging a good piece of meat and meat cuts. 

During the 79th annual Minnesota FFA Convention in St. Paul last week, area teams took six of the top 10 spots in the meat contest, with Jackson County Central (JCC) earning first place and a trip to the National FFA Convention this fall. 

Also in the top 10 were Pipestone Area, second; Westbrook-Walnut Grove, third; Southwest Star Concept, fourth; Fulda, sixth; and Hills-Beaver Creek, eighth.  Worthington, the only other area team represented in the meats contest, placed 12th. 

In all, JCC walked away with three first-place team finishes, while Fulda, Mountain Lake and Westbrook-Walnut Grove each had one team earning a state championship. 

Following is a compilation of team results (and individual placings) from the area:

Area FFA teams also boasted a first-place state proficiency winner, with Kody Kramer of Fulda taking top honors in the Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication area.  Other top three winners included Eric Hodnefield, JCC, second in Diversified Crop Production Placement; Paul Nelson, Pipestone Area, second in Wildlife Management Entrepreneurship; Levi Zins, Fulda, third in Diversified Livestock Production Entrepreneurship; and Derek Eichner, Westbrook-Walnut Grove, third in Turf Grass Management. 

Participating in the State Band were Stefan Swanson of Fulda and Marissa Grupe of JCC; while State Choir participants from the area were PaIa Yang, Kallie Gundermann, Mai Yer Yang, Spencer Knott and Steven Pfarr, all of Westbrook-Walnut Grove, and Sean Benz, Windom Area.