Thirteen WSHS FFA members travel to Indianapolis for National FFA Convention and week of hands-on learning experiences
Thirteen WSHS FFA members travel to Indianapolis for National FFA Convention and week of hands-on learning experiences
Thirteen Wessington Springs FFA members traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, last week to attend the 98th National FFA Convention, where three Wessington Springs High School alumni, Carter Gaikowski, Abigail Kolousek and Carissa Scheel, were recognized with the American FFA Degree, the organization’s highest honor.
The American FFA Degree recognizes members who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to agricultural education, leadership, and supervised agricultural experience programs. Recipients represent the top one-half of one percent of FFA members nationwide.
FFA Adviser Brady Duxbury said the trip was an unforgettable experience for the students.
“It was a really amazing trip to Indianapolis,” Duxbury said. “Thirteen kids from Wessington Springs left on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, they got to stop at Fair Oaks Dairy, one of the largest dairies in the United States. The barn the kids toured houses 30,000 cows, and they got to see the robotic dairy system where the cows milk themselves. They also toured the pig experience, where they learned about the full production process.”
That evening, students attended a professional rodeo “one step below the NFR,” Duxbury said, adding that they were able to see some of the biggest names in rodeo.
On Thursday, the group visited Tuttle Orchards, a 95-year-old family-run apple orchard that also grows pumpkins and cut flowers and operates a restaurant.
“It was really neat because we got to see not just the production side but also the behind-the-scenes business decisions ,” Duxbury said.
Students also toured the National FFA Expo, which draws more than 65,000 people each year and features hundreds of businesses, colleges, and industry exhibits.
“It’s kind of like a place to connect with business, industry and colleges too,” Duxbury said. Later, the group visited the Indianapolis Zoo, and that evening they braved one of the city’s wellknown haunted houses.
Friday’s schedule included a keynote session and participation in the National Days of Service, where Wessington Springs students helped with invasive species control at a public garden.
“Our kids got hand saws and went out to identify and cut down invasive trees,” Duxbury said. “They were working all around that area, helping stop the spread of those trees — it was a great experience. Trips like this really show them the opportunities agriculture can offer — not just in production, but in leadership, education and service,” he said.