Granton FFA Students Celebrate National FFA Week

Friday, February 26th, 2021 -- 11:00 AM

-It’s National FFA Week and FFA members at the Granton School District are celebrating with different activities.

I spoke with Granton’s Interim Administrator, James Kuchta, and two Granton FFA members, Megan Walter and Ashley Piscal , and they discussed their connection with farming in Central Wisconsin and some activities they’re doing.

Mr. Kuchta:  “We’re celebrating our FFA members in Granton for National FFA Week.  We have Megan Walter who is a Junior here at Granton and is an Ag Proficiency Award Applicant.  And also, Ashley Piscal who is a Senior and works at a local dairy Farm.  So, we’ll start with Megan.”

Megan:  “This year I’m doing a State Proficiency in the Diversified Livestock.  This proficiency is based around my whole entire life.  I live on a dairy farm and I work on a dairy farm over in Marshfield.  And I’ve been engaged with dairy animals, beef, sheep and pigs, my whole entire life.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “So, you work at a different farm?  Not your home farm?”

Megan:  “My home farm and a different farm.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “What are some of the big things you’re doing for National FFA Week?”

Megan:  “So, this week for FFA Week, I’m going out trying to show my spirit and get other kids involved in such a great organization.  For today, we dress up as a Disney character or Disney princess, so I’m dressed up as a Disney Princess.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “We also have Ashley, who I’ve had a number of conversations with.”

Ashley:  “My proficiency for state is in the Dairy Proficiency category, which is one of the largest categories in the state and one of the hardest ones to win.  I work and live on a dairy farm.  I’ve been working on the farm I work on since my Freshman summer year.  I’ll be there 3 years in June."

"And then my family dairy farm, I’ve been there since I was 6.  So, I’ve been around dairy cattle and I have started my proficiency by buying a couple registered holstein heifers.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “What is the farm you work for?”

Ashley:  “The dairy farm I work on in Marshfield is Heiman Holsteins.  I have a youth apprenticeship there, so I go there during the school day and work with the herdsmen and learn about being a herdsmen on the dairy farm because that is what I’d like to go into for college.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “You plan to go on for Dairy Production beyond high school?”

Ashley:  “My plan is to go into Production Dairy Science, which would give me a degree to become a herdsmen.  I’d be certified in AI, feed sales, and a couple other areas of the agriculture industry.  And I plan to come back and work on a large farm as a herdsmen.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “Can you explain what AI is?”

Ashley:  “AI is artificial insemination of dairy cattle.  So, breeding cows specifically for more milk, etc.  So, my couple at home are show cattle, so they have really feminie body types.  They're not beefy, like the beef cattle, they're just big.  But the dairy cattle have to have that nice curve to their legs, nice udders, tall, and thin.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “Do you show animals?”

Ashley:  “Kinda.  My plan when I started my own little herd was to show and then COVID hit.  So, I haven’t been able to show, but I have worked with all 5 of my heifers and they’re all halter broke.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “How about you, Megan?  Do you show?”

Megan:  “Yes, I’ve actually shown cattle my whole life.  I showed dairy up until my Freshman year of high school and then I transferred over to showing livestock.  So, now I show beef and sheep and, when I show dairy, I also show pigs.  But I stepped away from that a little bit and explored my opportunities and now I’m a sheep and beef shower.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “And where do you show your animals?”

Megan:  “I show mainly at the Clark County Fair, but this year I’m expanding out and showing at a lot of other fairs including the Central State Fair in Marshfield, the Chippewa Falls one, I want to go down to a national show in Kentucky this year, so I really want to get out and expand with these great opportunities.”

Mr. Kuchta:  “There are great opportunities with the FFA and these are a couple of young leaders and future leaders in agriculture, right here from Granton!”

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