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Stars continued
Star in Agricultural Placement
“Are you sure you want to farm?” Dan Griesbach of Stratford,
Wis., fondly remembers the question his parents always asked
him. To Griesbach, there was no doubt he would one day
become the sixth-generation Griesbach to farm his family’s
original 1880 dairy farm, the oldest-working dairy farm in his
township. He eventually acquired 50 percent ownership in the
dairy farm and now this 22-year-old Marshfield FFA member’s
hard work, determination and motivation to succeed earned
him top honors.
As Griesbach learned the ropes in dairy farming from his
grandfather and father, his responsibilities grew around the
family farm. During his junior and senior years in high school,
he enrolled in the Production Agriculture-Youth Apprenticeship Program and completed
Level I and II, which accelerated his learning of dairy farming as well as commodity
marketing and farm business management. The summer before graduation, Griesbach’s
father suffered an unavoidable spinal surgery, which pivoted Griesbach to overseeing the
daily management of the farm and cemented his role as a future farmer. Once his father
recovered, the farm continued to grow, increasing the number of cattle from 55 to more
than 70 and harvesting high-quality forages. Griesbach also encouraged his father to
plant a silage-specific corn hybrid to increase the digestibility and starch content of the
farm’s silage. Among his many other accomplishments, Griesbach also has exhibited his
livestock at several fairs; won a proficiency award and became a career development event
champion during the Wisconsin FFA convention; and was named a 2007 Wisconsin Star in
Agricultural Placement finalists.
After graduation, Griesbach enrolled in the two-year Farm Operation program at Mid-
State Technical College in Marshfield. In the near future, he plans to complete the Farm
Business and Production Program at Mid-State and purchase the farm from his parents. He
is the son of William and Carol Griesbach. His FFA advisors are Mike Zee and Tim Heeg.
Star in Agribusiness
When he was deeded the family business, Rusty Kenner of
Cheyenne, Okla., looked forward to proving himself when
others expected him to fail. Kenner and his brother took a
diversified business that had been in decline for five years and
turned it back into the reputable businesses his grandfather
created.
Shortly after entering high school, Kenner was able to
restart the family well drilling business by refurbishing old
equipment. During the past five years, the business has
drilled more than 150 wells and repaired dozens of other
wells. Kenner continues to expand his business with word-ofmouth
marketing. Kenner also operates a custom hay swathing
and baling company. Last year, Kenner baled more than 2,000 bales. With the goal of
increasing production and efficiency in his haying business, he has seen profits rise, which
has given him the ability to upgrade equipment in both businesses.
Even though he currently works full time with Kenner Water Well and Custom Swathing
and Baling businesses, Kenner plans to continue his education this fall at Oklahoma State
University - Okmulgee to study diesel mechanics. He plans to expand the family businesses
with a diesel mechanics shop. Kenner is the son of Clifford Lynn and Dixie Kaye Kenner, and
his advisor at the Cheyenne FFA chapter is Nathan Torrance.
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