With a longstanding tradition of competing among the nation’s best, the Wessington Springs FFA Chapter once again proved it belongs on the national stage — and this year, the chapter brought home a national championship.
Competing at the 2026 National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City, 12 Wessington Springs students participated across the contest’s three divisions: land judging, range judging and homesite evaluation.
Leading the way was the homesite team of Max Klein, Ella Fagerhaug, Remie Roduner and Kohen Mebius, who captured the title of 2026 National Homesite Champion Team.
Klein also earned the title of national individual champion, while Fagerhaug placed seventh individually.
“At first they called all the top 10 teams on stage, then they go from there,” Klein said. “I knew that I had done well because we got the officials, but I wasn’t sure if it was enough.”
The team credited much of its success to preparation and perseverance during the weeklong contest.
“Our coach, Lance Howe in Oklahoma, really worked with us a lot,” Klein said. “He called us the worst land team at the beginning of the week, so that really humbled us. Then we were like, ‘We’re going to go back and start at zero,’ and we stayed up until one o’clock one night just studying. It paid out at the end.”
For Fagerhaug, returning to nationals for a second time helped calm nerves and sharpen focus.
“It helps a lot that we went two years ago, so we saw a lot of the same things and kind of knew what we were already looking for,” she said.
Remie Roduner said homesite judging came more naturally after learning the process.
“Homesite is a lot easier in terms of land versus homesite because you just have to call your slope, your textures and the erosion,” she said.
The group said the experience went beyond competition, strengthening friendships built through years of practice and travel together.
“I just like going down there, seeing a lot of different things and hanging out with these guys,” Roduner said.
Fagerhaug and Mebius agreed. “Just spending time with all these guys. I feel like we get a lot closer,” she said. “We work well together in the contest and then also in having fun.”
One favorite memory came during an escape room challenge in Oklahoma City.
“They made it out of the escape room with time to spare,” said agricultural education instructor Brady Duxbury with a laugh.
The trip also included visits to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, horse races and Bass Pro Shops.
“We practiced hard in the mornings,” Klein said. “Then in the afternoons we toured the city. My favorite part was probably either the escape room or going to awards and obviously winning.”
The success, Duxbury said, was years in the making.
“This is not the story of a single year,” he said. “This is the story of three or four years of time and effort for these young people.”
Several members of this year’s squad had previously competed on nationally placing teams, including a fifth-place team and a ninth-place team in past competitions.
“So we knew going into this that this was going to be a pretty special year,” Duxbury said. “It takes a mountain of effort and time and all sorts of things to make this work.”
He credited longtime Oklahoma coach Lance Howe for helping guide the team throughout the week.
“I’ll give credit to Lance Howe,” Duxbury said. “He was a wonderful, wonderful guide down there in Oklahoma.”
According to Duxbury, the students spent long hours preparing each day.
“It was usually 10, 11 o’clock, 12 o’clock at night,” he said. “They worked all day long. I always tell my kids when we go to Oklahoma, we work hard so we’re the hardest working team there, but then when we’re done, we play hard too.”
The chapter’s accomplishments also added another milestone to an already respected tradition within the program.
“In the past 10 years, no one has ever gone in FFA and won and then also gone back in 4-H and won,” Duxbury said of Klein’s achievement.
“And we’ll put a national championship under the chapter’s belt,” he added. “We’re more than happy to do that.”