The Mineral Point Chapter of the Future Farmers of America held its 97th annual awards ceremony Tuesday, March 17 in the middle/high school cafetorium under the leadership of Advisor Mike Robinson.
Awards were presented as follows — congrats to all!
Check out photos at this link.
Discovery Degree
The FFA Discovery Degree is awarded to 8th grade FFA members who have successfully completed the 8th grade agriculture course, have attended FFA meetings, and have shown interest in pursuing the FFA in the coming high school years.
Ruby Syvrud, Hunter Tibbits, Sam Sennhenn, Everett Fitzsimmons, Emmitt Steffes, Landon McDonald, Max Dannenberg, Kegan Patterson, Coy Campbell, Jack Tippett, Jameson Steffes.
Greenhand Degree
The Greenhand Degree is the first degree of membership earned in high school in the FFA. To earn a Greenhand Degree, you must have satisfactorily planned or started a SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience), have learned and be able to explain the meaning of the FFA Creed, know the FFA Motto, know the duties and responsibilities of FFA members, and have an understanding of the aims and purposes of the FFA.
Lily Heisner, Rachel Heisner, Wyatt Knebel, Autumn Robb, Rilyn Heins, Tyler Vondra, Kallie Carey, Jayden Carey, Ryenne Dochnahl, Traevyn Galle, Madelyn McWilliams, Gunner Reichling.
Chapter Degree
The Chapter FFA Degree is the second degree of high school membership for an FFA member. One must have received the Greenhand Degree, have a SAE, have knowledge of the chapter’s program of activities, participated in at least three local activities, and demonstrate progress in their SAE area.
Breanna Tibbits, Hailey McDonald, Alleigh Culver, Jaycee Tibbits, Cyntanah Nafzger, Kendyl Ruf, Harper Heins, Sawyer Dannenberg, Henry Chapman, Sammy Springer, Sam Schute, Peyton Brant, Tatum James, Aiden Patterson, Kaylin Peterson, Carver Potterton, Kendall Wenger.
Blue and Gold Award
The Blue and Gold Award is presented to FFA members in their third year of high school FFA membership. One must have received the Chapter FFA Degree, have a well established SAE, have participated in and helped organize the chapter’s program of activities, and demonstrate growth in their SAE.
Aida Tuttle, Haylee Yager, Leah Hoffman, Zander Simenson, Braeden Gallagher, Jake Dannenberg, Kylie Bennett, Emily Heisner, Johnny Robinson, Jessica Schubert, Faye Schuette, Riley Sennhenn, Jaydee Woerpel.
Four-Year Member Award
Being a part of the Mineral Point FFA for four years of high school is an outstanding accomplishment for a member. These members have put in many hours and have participated in many events over the past four years of high school.
Madelyn Steffes, Mallory Gould, Keegan Wenger, Garrett Schaaf, Cameron Patterson, Trent Culver, Christian Bigler, Kameron Schilling, Isaac Schute.
State FFA Degree
The State FFA Degree is the highest degree the state association can bestow. The member must have taken two years of agricultural education and been an active member for two years. The member must have invested $2500 or worked 1500 hours in their SAE area and have completed their State FFA Degree application and have been accepted at the State level. The following will receive their State Degree at the State Convention in June: Mallory Gould, Cameron Patterson, and Madelyn Steffes.
Honorary FFA Member Award
The Honorary FFA Member Award is the highest award the FFA can give to a non-FFA member.
Janet Lawinger has been a great supporter of the Mineral Point FFA. She started when her daughters were in FFA and has continued her support long past their graduation. Her support of our fruit sale and donation auction has always been outstanding. Janet has donated items for several years to the FFA auction, which has included some of her artwork and themed baskets she has created. Janet also comes and purchases many items at the auction, maybe trying to keep up with the items Ted purchases. Janet creates signs for our events, proofreads FFA letters, and helps with printing many things for us. Janet also volunteered her talents to create our placemats and program for the banquet this year. Janet has two school events she marks on her calendar every year — the FFA auction and the FFA banquet.
Janet, thank you for all you do for the school and for Mineral Point FFA.
Speaking Contest
Lily Heisner and Rachel Heisner both competed in the District Creed Contest. Rachel placed 3rd and Lily 4th in a very competitive District Contest, just missing qualifying for Sectionals. The Creed Contest involves reciting the FFA Creed from memory and answering a series of questions about the Creed.
Johnny Robinson placed 1st and Madelyn Steffes 3rd in the District Employment Skills Contest. Madelyn just missed qualifying for Sectionals. Johnny advanced to the Sectional Contest and placed 3rd. The Employment Skills Contest has the FFA member interview for an agricultural related job, as well as submit a resume, cover letter, and job description.
In Extemporaneous Speaking, Mallory Gould competed for her fourth year in a row. The Extemporaneous Contest consists of a student drawing an agricultural related topic and in 30 minutes, preparing a 4-6 minute speech on that topic.
The 8th Grade Quiz Bowl participants that competed at Districts include: Max Dannenberg, Everett Fitzsimmons, Landon McDonald, Kegan Patterson, Sam Sennhenn, Jameson Steffes, Emmitt Steffes, Ruby Syvrud, Hunter Tibbits, and Jack Tippett. In this contest, 8th Grade FFA members compete against teams from other schools to answer questions about FFA facts. It is the first speaking contest open to them in their FFA career.
In Prepared Speaking, Haylee Yager placed 6th at Districts in a very competitive contest. In the Prepared Contest, FFA members memorize their own created agricultural-related speech of 6-8 minutes and present it to a panel of judges, followed by questions related to their speech.
Emily Heisner and Faye Schuette both competed in Discussion Meet. Emily made the finals at Districts and took 1st place, moving on to Sectionals. At Sectionals, Emily placed 4th. In Discussion Meet, FFA members are gathered at a table and discuss solutions to an agricultural issue.
Chapter Proficiency Awards
We had 16 different FFA proficiency awards applied for at the state level, which are based on their Supervised Agriculture Experience. They are given a ranking of bronze, silver, or gold at the state level. With each ranking the students get a monetary amount from the local chapter of $20, $30, or $50. All state finalist proficiencies are awarded at the State FFA Convention in June. The state finalist is a ranking of the top five finalists in the state, which means they will not find out their final ranking of 1-5 in the state until on stage at the State FFA Convention in June.
Madelyn Steffes received a gold rating in Dairy Production. Madelyn’s SAE is based on showing dairy cattle at all levels of competition. Madelyn enjoys all aspects of raising and showing her dairy cattle.
Johnny Robinson received a gold rating in Diversified Livestock Placement. Johnny’s SAE is based on his work at A&M Farms. He drives tractor, feeds animals, helps with fitting for shows and helps with the vet care related to the cattle, sheep, and goats.
Johnny Robinson received a gold rating in Small Animal Care. Johnny’s SAE is based on his raising of beagle puppies for pets and as hunting dogs. Johnny does all the marketing and selling of his beagle puppies.
Henry Chapman received a gold rating in Fruit and Nut Production. Henry’s SAE is based on his work at The Cider Farm. Henry does a variety of work, from harvesting fruit, to controlling pests/weeds, to grafting new trees. This is Henry’s first year applying for this award.
Emily Heisner received a silver rating in Dairy Production Placement. Emily’s SAE is based on her work on Pine Valley Farms milking cows and feeding calves. Emily also shows cattle for the farm at all levels of competition. This is also Emily’s first year of applying in this area.
Ellie Robinson received a silver rating in Beef Production Entrepreneurship. Ellie’s SAE is based on raising Angus and commercial show cattle. Ellie has her own herd of beef cows, which she raises crossbred steer and heifer calves to sell to others for showing, as well as for herself to show.
Ellie Robinson received a gold rating in Sheep Production. Ellie’s SAE is based on raising and showing sheep. Ellie raises her own purebred Southdown and commercial sheep for showing at all levels of competition and selling to other exhibitors.
Ellie Robinson received a gold rating in Forage Crop Production Placement at the state level. Ellie’s SAE is based on her work in forage crop production on A&M farms. Ellie’s duties include raking hay, hauling bales, wrapping hay, and baling small squares of hay.
Mallory Gould received a silver rating in Small Animal Care. Mallory’s SAE is based on her pet care business, Mal’s Pet Care. Mallory provides dog walking services, animal cleaning, animal training, and other pet related services. Mallory has a growing business and is always looking for new customers.
Harper Heins received a silver rating in Sheep Production. Harper has her own flock of sheep that she has in order to raise show lambs for herself and to sell to others. Harper is responsible for working with her show lambs throughout the summer and caring for her ewes all year long.
Aiden Patterson received a gold rating in Sheep Production. Aiden raises both crossbred and purebred Hampshire sheep for showing and selling to others for showing. Aiden is involved in all management decisions of his flock from feeding to marketing.
Annie Robinson received a gold rating in Goat Production Entrepreneurship. Annie owns her own herd of commercial and registered Boer goats. Annie has been very successful in her operation raising, showing, and selling several champion show goats at all levels.
Annie Robinson received a gold rating in Agricultural Sales Placement. Annie’s SAE is based on her work at Aspen Ridge. Annie cares for plants, makes arrangements, and helps customers with their purchases.
Izzy Dannenberg received a silver rating in Diversified Livestock Entrepreneurship. Izzy’s SAE is based on showing sheep, pigs, and dairy cattle. Izzy also raises her own pigs to show and enjoys competing at several shows throughout the year. She has shown at jackpot shows, county fair, and the Wisconsin State Fair.
Riley Sennhenn received a gold rating in Beef Production Entrepreneurship. Riley’s SAE is based on raising show steers. Riley works with 1-2 steers a year preparing to show them at Jackpot shows, county fair, and the Wisconsin State Fair.
Cameron Patterson received a gold rating in Sheep Production. Cameron’s SAE is based on raising commercial and purebred Hampshire sheep for showing and marketing lamb meat. Cameron has successfully shown at all levels of competition. He also sells lamb meat privately and has added freezer space for his product.
State and National Winners
Luke Schubert was the state winner in Diversified Crop Production Placement in 2025 and was recognized at the State FFA Convention with a video during the convention session and a display set up in the Hall of Champions. This was Luke’s third state proficiency win, after winning Grain Production and Fiber and Oil Crop Production the previous two years. Luke also went on to the national competition and received a silver rating. Luke’s proficiency is based on his work at Schubert Farms.
We would also like to recognize Annie Robinson who won state in the Nursery Production Placement proficiency in 2025 and was recognized at the State Convention with a video during the convention session and a display set up in the Hall of Champions. Annie also went on to the national competition where she received a silver rating. Annie’s proficiency is based on her work at Aspen Ridge.
Fruit Sale
This year we had another successful fruit sale. Combining with Skills USA, we sold over $30,000 worth of fruit, meat, and cheese products. Thank you to everyone that is involved in the fruit sale to make it such a successful fundraiser. We would like to honor the Top 5 sales people from the FFA. This year’s top FFA salesperson is Johnny Robinson with $2,359 — this means the all-time record set by Dylan Burke of $3,899 still stands. Second in sales went to Garrett Schaaf with $1,977, third in sales went to Jessica Schubert with $1,211, fourth in sales went to Jaydee Woerpel with $1,143, and the fifth spot in sales went to Kylie Bennett with $1,064.
Cash Back Awards
We have a cash back award program for FFA members who raised over $1,000 in fruit sale and auction fundraising, with members getting 5% back on their total sales. Congrats to: Garrett Schaaf, Emily Heisner, Harper Heins, Jaydee Woerpel, Ruby Syvrud, Kaylin Peterson, Jack Tippett, Kylie Bennett, Madelyn Steffes, Jessica Schubert, Johnny Robinson, and Jaycee Tibbits.
Star Discovery Award
The Star Discovery award is to honor the outstanding 8th grade FFA members. This award is based on the members’ involvement in FFA activities that are available to them as 8th grade members. This year’s recipients participated in quiz bowl, sold fruit sale, participated in the donation auction, participated in FFA Week events, and helped with activities during the summer before being official FFA members. They are off to a good start in the FFA and we look forward to their continued participation in FFA events. This year’s recipients of the Star Discovery Award are Sam Sennhenn and Kegan Patterson.
Star Greenhand Award
The Star Greenhand award is presented to a first year high school FFA member, based on FFA participation, school activities, scholastic attainment, and evidence of beginning the Supervised Agriculture Experience program. This year’s star greenhand members have done a variety of activities which include: District Creed speaking contest, FFA Week events, running for a FFA office, participating in fundraisers, and helping with summer activities. They are enrolled in a variety of agriculture classes and are always willing to help out. They also exhibit animals at a variety of shows. They have a tremendous start in the FFA and will continue to grow as FFA members. This year’s recipients of the Star Greenhand Award are Rachel Heisner and Lily Heisner.
Star Chapter Award
The Star Chapter FFA Award is presented to a second year high school member based on the activities they are involved in, which includes the areas of FFA participation, school activities, scholastic attainment, and evidence of a Supervised Agriculture Experience program. This year’s recipients have served as a FFA officer or have run for FFA office, have helped at the district speaking contests, participated in CDE contests, filled out proficiency applications, participated in FFA Week activities, attended leadership events, worked summer events, and are top fundraising participants. They are always willing to help out and try something new, and are very involved in other extracurricular activities in school and the community. This year’s recipients of the Star Chapter FFA award are Aiden Patterson and Harper Heins.
Star Blue and Gold Award
The Blue and Gold Award is given to a third year high school FFA member based on involvement in activities which include FFA participation, school activities, scholastic attainment, and evidence of a Supervised Agriculture Experience program. This year we have a very active group of members and we are giving out several Blue and Gold awards. This year’s recipients have planned and been involved in many FFA activities this year and throughout their FFA career. Some of these activities include alumni judging, working the Ross Soil/Nutrien Dinner, helping with cattleman’s activities, Livestock State CDE qualifier, speaking contest helpers, top fundraising participants, speaking contest participants and sectional qualifiers, proficiency applications, and have served as FFA officers. They are always willing to help with an activity whatever it might be, and help continue the success of Mineral Point FFA. This year’s recipients of the Blue and Gold Award are Johnny Robinson, Faye Schuette, Emily Heisner, Riley Sennhenn, and Kylie Bennett.
Dekalb Award
The Dekalb Agriculture accomplishment award is presented to a Senior FFA member who has an agriculture SAE and has shown leadership capabilities throughout their FFA career.
First is Madelyn Steffes who has: participated in dairy judging CDE several years, River Ridge judging contest, silver rated dairy proficiency, competed in LDE speaking contests, and showing dairy cattle across Wisconsin and at World Dairy expo, and participated in many FFA events.
Next is Mallory Gould who has: participated in Vet Science CDE at the district level, four time LDE speaking contest participant, silver rated small animal care proficiency based on her business Mal’s Pet Care, shows goats at the county fair, participated in River Ridge judging contest and the Alumni judging contest, and participated in many FFA events.
Next is Cameron Patterson who has: served as a FFA officer, livestock judging CDE state champion and national qualifier, meat evaluation judging CDE state champion and national qualifier, gold rated sheep proficiency application several years, attended Washington Leadership Conference, attended National FFA Convention, attended State FFA Convention, attended fall leadership workshop, livestock showing across the country, organized and participated in a variety FFA events.
FFA & FFA Alumni Scholarships
This year we are able to present three scholarships from the FFA and one from the FFA Alumni. The recipients of these scholarships have done a variety of FFA activities. They have helped organize and have participated in various FFA activities. They helped at the FFA banquet, worked at donation auction, sold fruit, and have been excellent FFA members. They have competed in judging contests, speaking contest, leadership workshops and many other FFA Activities. They have spent many hours doing FFA activities as well as taking Ag. Classes. These recipients are also involved in other school and community organizations. Congratulations to: Mallory Gould $500 from FFA, Madelyn Steffes $500 from FFA, Keegan Wenger $250 from FFA, and Cameron Patterson $750 from FFA Alumni.
Retiring Officers 2025-26
Johnny Robinson, President
Emily Heisner, Vice President
Aiden Patterson, Secretary
Riley Sennhenn, Treasurer
Kylie Bennett, Reporter
Faye Schuette, Sentinel.
Incoming Officers 2026-27
Johnny Robinson, President
Emily Heisner, Vice President
Aiden Patterson, Secretary
Lily Heisner, Treasurer
Harper Heins, Reporter
Faye Schuette, Sentinel