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Monroe FFA works to promote ag education
Holiday fruit sale underway, 4 choices added this year
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Some Monroe High School FFA members: back row, from left, Jocelyn Douglas, Brandon Blum, Matthew Blumer, Cole Meier, Colby Steiner, Andrew Blumer, Kyle Haldiman, Cameron Hay, Brett Grebner, AJ Harkenrider, Alexis Vita, Kennedy Scace, Jensen Christenson, Jordan Hay, Kaiden Klemm and Brooklyn Sanden. Pictured in front, from left, are Chloie Yoder, Jade Staffaucher, Makenzie Haldiman, Jasmyn Mader, Roxy Colin, Madison Zoellick, Izzy Rowley, Vanessa Hartwig and Ty Christen.

MONROE — FFA is a national organization based in middle school and high school that works to promote agricultural education and builds student leadership. Students who are enrolled in an agriculture course at Monroe High School are automatically considered FFA members, meaning they can get involved without paying to join the club. 

The Monroe FFA chapter works to promote student involvement, help the community, and allow students to learn more about agriculture in a positive environment. The chapter participates in many local, state and national events, along with holding its own community service activities and fundraisers.

Sectional Leadership Workshop, also known as SLW, is a leadership development workshop specifically for students that hold a chapter officer position, but can also include general members. Wisconsin is organized into 30 districts, which are all organized into 10 sections, which is also how Sectional Leadership Workshops are scheduled. State FFA Officers organize one workshop for each section in Wisconsin, ensuring every town in each district is invited. At this workshop, officers get feedback on their roles and learn new ways to excel in their officer positions, bringing new things to the table for every FFA chapter. The Monroe FFA chapter also gets involved in many other expos, conventions and leadership workshops held at the state and national level.

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Monroe High School FFA members who attended the Sectional Leadership Workshop recently hosted by the Wisconsin State FFA officers at Parkview High School are pictured, from left, Madison Zoellick; Kyle Haldiman, secretary; Colby Steiner, president; Makenzie Haldiman, reporter; Eva Van Dyk, vice president; Aidan Lambert, parliamentarian and Mitchell Grossen, treasurer.

One event the Monroe FFA attends every year is World Dairy Expo, held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The expo is an opportunity for dairy producers, organizations, companies and FFA members to compete in showing, share dairy technology and knowledge, and explore different careers in the dairy field. Monroe FFA members also competed in judging competitions at World Dairy Expo, with the Dairy Cattle Team placing 66th and the Dairy Products Team placing 18th. 

Those members put their full effort into judging and placed exceedingly well. Monroe FFA also prides itself on getting members involved in the community and working hard to develop exceptional leaders right in our small town.

One activity the Monroe FFA Chapter prides itself on is its Holiday Fruit Sale. This sale is held from October to mid-November, allowing students to have plenty of time to raise money for the chapter to participate in all of the events. A large variety of food is sold in the fruit sale, including eight different mixed fruit baskets, six different citrus fruit boxes, 11 different options for apples and pears, and many different cheese, sausage and nut packages, with this year’s sale adding four new choices.

The Monroe FFA Chapter meets the second Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at Monroe High School. At these meetings old business is covered from the previous month along with announcing upcoming events, urging students to sign up for new things and get involved. Event dates and activities are also decided. FFA is a positive organization that shows the importance of agriculture while building student leaders.