Eastern IA Farmer_Fall23_SOUTH

Ag Bytes
Local FFA students advancing
to national proficiency award
competition
Several Eastern Iowa FFA students
advanced to national competition after
winning state level proficiency awards
in areas ranging from agricultural communications
to service learning and from
diversified agricultural production to swine
production. Proficiency Award winners
have excelled in their Supervised Agricultural
Experience (SAE) programs.
These awards encourage members to
develop specialized skills that will apply
toward a future career. State winners will
advance to the National FFA competition
where they will compete against winners
from the other State FFA Associations.
The four national
finalists selected
from each area are
recognized at the
National FFA Convention
and Expo
in November.
Local winners
include:
Morgan Hodge,
West Liberty FFA
Chapter, won in
Outdoor Recreation,
sponsored by the Iowa Trappers Association.
Hodge has worked extensively
in the shooting sports area. She works at
the Izaack Walton League Gun Club and
has helped increase membership by 10%.
She has completed training and received
her Range Safety Officer certification.
She also has helped increase the number
of events held at the trap club by 200%.
Her future plans include coaching for the
Scholastic City Target Program.
Jessica Kroeger, North Scott FFA
Chapter in Eldridge, won in the area of
Specialty Animal Production, sponsored
by Iowa FFA Gold Standard Partners. Kroeger
has raised bees since her freshman
year. She has sold hives to others over
the years from her own stock. Kroger also
completed an agriscience research project
based on her bee hives. She is a 2022
graduate of North Scott High School.
Blaze Maas, West Liberty FFA Chapter,
placed first in Wildlife Production and
Management sponsored by Iowa FFA
Gold Standard Partners. Maas has planted
food plots and raised and released
pheasants. He has increased food plot
acreage from 50 acres to 105 acres and
expanded CRP acres from 1,980 acres
to 2,550 acres. He requires his clients to
harvest bucks that are 4 years old or older
to maintain a good deer population. He
works for Broken Bow Outfitters where
her has logged 1,412 hours and earned
more than $22,000. Maas plans to attend
Kirkwood Community College and major
in agri-business.
Local farms earn Century,
Heritage recognition
Several Eastern Iowa farm families were
honored with the Century or Heritage Farm
designations at the Iowa State Fair last
summer. The program celebrates farms
that have been owned by the same families
for 100 and 150 years, respectively.
The Century Farm Program began in
1976 as part of the nation’s Bicentennial
Celebration. To date, more than 21,000
Century Farms and 1,800 Heritage Farms
have been recognized across the state of
Iowa.
Receiving a Heritage Farm distinction in
Cedar County was Feurbach Acres Inc.,
Wiltion, 1871.
Receiving Century Farm distinctions in
Cedar County were the Dale Bixler Trust,
Clarence, 1920; and Richard and Sandra
Heisch, Bennett, 1917.
Receiving a Heritage Farm distinction
in Johnson County were Marvin Lee and
Katherine Mae (Neuzil) Holeton, Oxford,
1873.
Receiving a Century Farm distinction in
Johnson County was Joseph N. Meade,
Oxford, 1923.
Receiving Heritage Farm distinctions
in Louisa County were Steven R. Bonnichsen,
Columbus Junction, 1872; and
Martha J. Ryan Young, Wapello, 1851.
Receiving a Century Farm distinction in
Louisa County was Martha J. Ryan Young,
Wapello, 1851.
Receiving Heritage Farm distinctions in
Muscatine County were Randall Eichelberger,
Muscatine, 1869; Lyle Joe and
Joan Imhoff, Muscatine, 1873; Martin Paul,
Muscatine, 1854; and John T. and Linda S.
Verink, Letts, 1847.
Receiving Century Farm distinctions in
Muscatine County were Randall Eichelberger,
Muscatine, 1869; Eis Family Land
LLP, Muscatine, 1886; Illian Farm, Walcott,
1923; and John T. and Linda S. Verink,
Letts, 1847.
Receiving Heritage Farm distinctions in
Scott County were 4D Brus Family Farms,
Walcott, 1870; Robert Moellenbeck, Walcott,
1872; and Judith Mumm, New Liberty,
1872.
Receiving Century Farm distinctions in
Scott County were Earl and Dorothy Kuhl,
Eldridge, 1910; Robert Moellenbeck, Walcott,
1872; and Otto Wendhausen Jr., Le-
Claire, 1914.
Conference to focus
on women leaders in ag
Women are invited to an opportunity to
network and learn at the 7th annual ISU
Extension and Outreach Women in Ag
Leadership Conference Nov. 29-30 at the
Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in
Ames.
Sara Wyant, a Capitol Hill journalist, is
the keynote speaker for the event.
Wyant is the founder of Agri-Pulse
Communications
Inc., a digital
media firm she
launched in 2004
to focus on farm,
food and rural
policy issues.
During her
career, Wyant
also has been
a trailblazer
through several
glass ceilings. In
1995, she was
Sara Wyant
the first female to
be named to the
senior management team in agricultural
publishing as vice president for editorial
at Farm Progress. She served as the first
female chairwoman on the Farm Foundation’s
board of trustees and as president
of the American Agricultural Editors Association,
where she earned an award for
excellence in agricultural reporting.
A graduate of Iowa State University, she
recently bought her family’s farm in Iowa
County.
Other speakers slated for the conference
include Laura Blomme, an executive
recruiter with Hedlin Ag Enterprises,
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