State & District Stars

These groups of FFA members have excelled in their Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) by living the FFA motto: “Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, living to serve.” The district and state stars exemplify the hard work that our organization was founded on. Please read their success stories below or click a name to jump directly to that star's bio & photos.

 

Stars in Agribusiness

 

Nick Fredrickson, Yelm - District II

District II Star in Agribusiness is Nick Fredrickson of the Yelm FFA Chapter. Nick’s Agribusiness SAE consists of buying, restoring and selling antique tractors. So far Nick has acquired and restored three tractors such as a 1948 Farmall Cub, 1948 8n Ford, and a 1963 Farmall cub. He is currently working on a 1952 Massey Harris pony and has two other tractors that he has inline to restore next! He has almost $11,000 in inventory for resale and has earned $800 in sold goods. He has also taken his tractors to the Western Washington State Fair and won the award for Outstanding Ag Mechanics. It seemed that every older man that came through the barn had a story to share with Nick about his childhood on the farm and driving a tractor just like the one on display. This interaction and interest in his exhibit and presentation, earned him the distinguished commissioner’s Black & White Award.

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Ryan Houston, Okanogan - District VII

District VII Star in Agribusiness is Ryan Houston of the Okanogan FFA Chapter. Ryan is a motivated young man who wants to affect agriculture in a positive way. He purchased the Verminator Company and has increased sales and streamlined the manufacturing process for the machine. Ryan has participated in FFA for 4 years and is currently the Vice-President of the Okanogan FFA. Ryan lives in Okanogan with his parents Randy and Debbie. Ryan’s career goal is to be a successful businessman and plans to attend college this fall.

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Stars in Placement

 

Brandon Nickels, Stanwood - District I

District I Star in Placement is Brandon Nickels of the Stanwood FFA Chapter. Brandon's family has been involved in agriculture in the Stanwood area since before it was even Stanwood. Today, Brandon continues that tradition, by working on the family farm. The farm consists of a larger herd of Boer Meat Goats and a small breed of cattle called Dexters. Brandon works cleaning barns and pens, assists in kidding season, handles all fencing projects, and keeps up on herd health. General management and care are his primary concerns and record keeping must stay current and accurate.

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Vito Cibene, Sequim - District II

District II Star in Placement is Vito Cibene of the Sequim FFA Chapter. Vito works for Adolphsen Farms in Sequim, Washington. This has been his job for the last two years. When it comes to his work he runs loaders, tractors, combines, and cutting and bailing equipment. Vito assists in cutting and bailing about 20,000 square bales and 1,000 round bales. He helps harvest barley and oats to sell to the public and then he helps harvest and dry cauliflower for seed, which is shipped to a large company in Holland. Vito also helps manage 250 head of cattle that he and his boss work with year round, whether it’s doctoring them or helping with the calving. Vito says “this is my one passion that no matter what the task, I look forward to doing or learning.”

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Andrew Warren, Tenino - District III

District III Star in Placement is Andrew Warren of the Tenino FFA Chapter. Andy has worked over 900 hours for his Outdoor Recreation Placement SAE. His primary job duties consist of working as a trained lifeguard at the local pool. Aquatic safety was the most important aspect of his job; ensuring that all of our guests felt safe and secure at the pool. Other aspects of his Outdoor Recreation Placement SAE was planning, organizing and hosting a city wide youth soccer tournament, where there were over 150 players ages 6-10 competed.

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Ricks Munn, Prosser - District IV

District IV Star in Placement is Ricks Munn of the Prosser FFA Chapter. For his project, Rick worked on his family farm, R. Munn Farms LLC. He operated various types of machinery such as tractors, trucks, bulldozers, loaders, and other farm equipment. He used many different types of tractor implements including tillers, onion lifters, disks, disk rippers, ground hogs, cultivators, pitters, planters, and many more. While working on the farm, he also monitored crop health and irrigation systems, as well as mixing chemicals and pesticides to protect crops. This project taught him the importance of hard work and dedication, and showed him that he wants to continue the family tradition of farming.

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Ashley Sievers, Liberty - District V

District V Star in Placement is Ashley Sievers of the Liberty FFA Chapter. Ashley's placement project is working for her dad on the family farm. Her family farms over 2,500 acres of land that need to be tended to throughout the year. During the year she sprays fields, drives truck, drives tractor, and stubble-busts. She also does paperwork and orders chemicals when needed. She is the current FFA President of the Liberty chapter and competed at Nationals in Ag. Issues last fall. In addition to FFA, Ashley is also active in ASB, Basketball, and FBLA. She is also the valedictorian of her senior class.

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Jesse Christian, Pullman - District VI

District VI Star in Placement is Jesse Christian of the Pullman FFA Chapter. Jesse is a junior at Pullman High School. His placement was at his family’s business, All Fabrications & Supply in Pullman, WA. Jesse has learned numerous fabrication skills and has built and installed two belt-driven grain augers that feed the main supply house for Columbia Grain Incorporated. Jesse plans to attend Lewis & Clark State College and major in diesel mechanics, auto body repair, and welding after high school. After college, Jesse plans to return to the family business and continue to pursue his hobby of restoring vintage vehicles.

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Jorge Villasenor, Chelan - District VII

District VII Star in Placement is Jorge Villasenor of the Chelan FFA Chapter. His Placement in Tree Fruit Production SAE project consists of working for Warden Orchards in the Lake Chelan Valley. He has had the opportunity to work side by side with dad who is the orchard manager. His responsibilities have grown to include equipment operation, tractor repair, irrigation, pruning, spraying, and just about anything you can do in an apple and cherry production operation. He was the Individual State Champion Apple Judge in 2009 and a member of the State winning Apple CDE team. He puts that knowledge learned in Ag Classes and the FFA to good use in his SAE project. He earned over $13,000 from his Placement in Tree Fruit Production SAE project. He plans on attending Wenatchee Valley College and Washington State University to obtain a Tree Fruit Production Horticulture Degree and begin a career as a Tree Fruit Fieldman. He has served as the Chelan Chapter Treasurer and Vice President and District VII President. Jorge is the son of Reynaldo and Maria Villasenor.

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Corbin Harder, Washtucna - District IX

District IX Star in Placement is Corbin Harder of the Washtucna FFA Chapter. Corbin grew up on his family ranch and has worked next to his father changing irrigation, operating heavy machinery, learning mechanics, understanding the management of an agricultural based business. For the last four years, he has worked at a family friends’ farm, driving combine and learning how to maintain such equipment. This coming harvest, he will be given the task of head combine driver, where he will be responsible for deciding how four-combine operation will maneuver in the wheat fields. Corbin is proud to have been raised in an agricultural environment, and will always respect its potential to shape young people.

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Star Farmers

 

Ashliegh Smith, Monroe - District I

District I Star Farmer is Ashliegh Smith of the Monroe FFA Chapter. Aschliegh has focused her SAE for the past four years on Dairy Genetics. She improves and sharpens her genetic SAE with her cousin Anna Groeneveld. She has learned to refine and establish her skills and has applied them to her own herd of dairy cattle under the prefix of Zwergmaus Jersey’s, as well as her cousin’s herd. She advertises her herd at local fairs and has sold numbers of her jerseys to local farmers and other members of the dairy industry. As well as acquiring and managing the skills needed to excel in the genetics aspect of her SAE, she has also learned how to manage and ensure healthy reproduction and gestation practices in a herd of dairy cattle. She has been a part of the dairy industry for thirteen years and will continue her next six years at WSU to major in Agricultural Biotechnology.

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Johnathan DeHan, Yelm - District II

District II Star Farmer is Johnathan DeHan of the Yelm FFA Chapter. Johnathan’s SAE consists of raising market lambs for the county fair and working on the Kimball Ranch. His duties on the ranch include raking, mowing, bucking and delivering hay. He also cut and split firewood and repair fences. He has worked a total of 608 hours and made $5,208 on my ranch work and earned a profit of $1,065 on two market lambs. He decided that working for his grandpa was a pretty good option.

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Matt Hinderlie, Elma - District III

District III Star Farmer is Matt Hinderlie of the Elma FFA Chapter. Starting with just three head of cattle on 9 acres, Matt’s SAE project has now become a nearly 40 head operation on 77+ acres, producing registered Hereford seed stock, club calf show steers, and custom locker beef. He is responsible for managing his own herd, and all the tasks related to beef cattle production, like: fencing, forage and pasture management, feeding his cow herd and show cattle, barn cleaning, show cattle preparation, breeding decisions, calving, production paperwork/documentation, marketing, replacement selection, and herd health. He is proud of the cow herd that he has built, which all post Expected Progeny Differences (EPD's) that are better than American Hereford Association breed average for all major traits, and have helped him recieve six Premier Breeder/Exhibitor awards and many Championship banners from local, state, regional and national level shows. As a sophomore, he also expanded into forage production by purchasing his own haying equipment and harvesting all forages for his own cattle, as well as doing custom haying for multiple clients. In addition to his SAE project, he has also been active in Livestock and Meats Judging, as well as Farm Business, Marketing, Agricultural Issues, Parliamentary Procedure, and Rituals CDE's; He is also currently the Treasurer for his chapter and Vice President of the Washington State Junior Hereford Association.

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Cheryl Thonney, Prosser - District IV

District IV Star Farmer is Cheryl Thonney of the Prosser FFA Chapter. Chery’ls SAE Project is in the area of Beef Production. She currently owns a total of 20 Limousin and crossbred cattle and 6 show steers. Besides helping to do the daily chores and taking care of animal health needs, each summer she shows two of the steers she has raised at the local fair. She have been very successful in her SAE having earned the titles of Champion Beef Showman, Reserve Champion Showman, and Round Robin Champion. She has had the Grand Champion Market Steer and three Reserve Champion Market Steers during her years of showing in FFA. Through her SAE, she works to provide herself, and other showman, with high quality steers by selecting bulls to produce steers with desirable carcasses. In expanding her SAE, she was named the State Beef Production Proficiency Winner in 2010 going on to compete at nationals where she received a silver medal.

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Roslyn Swanson, Cheney - District V

District V Star Farmer is Roslyn Swanson of the Cheney FFA Chapter. Roslyn is a junior at Cheney High School. She has been working with cattle and showing steers since she was in the third grade. She has held the chapter office of Treasurer for two years and will be the Secretary for the 2011-2012 school year for the Cheney Chapter. She has competed in many CDE’s including Livestock Judging, Ag Issues, Creed Speaking, Job Interview, and Extemporaneous Speaking. Managing a herd of cattle takes a considerable amount of time and hard work, yet Roslyn has done this and maintained a 3.8 GPA. Her future plans include attending Washington State University, studying animal science and raising club calves.

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Erin Weber, Colton - District VI

District VI Star Farmer is Erin Weber of the Colton FFA Chapter. Erin Weber is a seventeen year old junior attending Colton High School. Currently, she is the president of the Colton FFA Chapter. Her supervised agricultural experience consists of raising pigs for local fairs and slaughter. She raises twelve pigs annually for the Palouse Empire Fair and twelve for the Spokane Junior Livestock Show. In between shows, she raises eighteen to twenty pigs for meat, which are sold to friends and family. While raising pigs, she also drives truck and combine, and she is the overall handyman on the 1,000 acre family farm. Any free time that she has, she spends playing basketball, softball, and anything outside.

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Sammi Jo Cool, Chelan - District VII

District VII Star Farmer is Sammi Jo Cool of the Chelan FFA Chapter. Her Diversified Livestock SAE project consists of raising Market Steers, Market Lambs, Meat Goats, and Performance Horses. Over the duration of her project she has raised 7 Steers, 3 Meat Goats, and 4 Market Lambs plus training and competing on her APHA Mare. Over the life of her project she has earned 23 Grand and Reserve Champion Rosettes and 18 Buckles in Jr Rodeo and PWRA Rodeo Competition. She has productively invested over $20,000 in her SAE project and will enter a career in the Animal Science field planning on owning her own Genetics Firm specializing in embryo transfer and Artificial insemination in Purebred Beef Cattle and Rodeo Bucking Stock. She has served as the Chelan Chapter Sweetheart, Secretary and two terms as President. In addition she has served as the District VII Secretary and President. Sammi Jo is the daughter of Rod and Cherrie Cool of Chelan.

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Ashlee Ashby, Castle Rock - District VIII

District VIII Star Farmer is Ashlee Ashby of the Castle Rock FFA Chapter. Ashlee is a senior at Castle Rock High School. She lives on a small farm with her parents and younger sister. She has been raising and showing Hereford cattle since 2002. She is very active in the Washington State Jr. Hereford Assoc, and the National Jr. Hereford Assoc. Her projects include market and breeding beef. She also has 11 breeding cows, 8 calves, and one bull. I love raising cattle and I’m very passionate about all there is to learn. Four years ago Ashlee and her sister had the privilege to travel to and exhibit at the Hereford Junior Nationals in Denver, Colorado. Since that first Jr. National experience her family has been fortunate to be able to travel to Kansas City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Indianapolis, Indiana and this year we will travel back to Kansas City Missouri exhibiting their Hereford cattle.

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Henry Boersma, Othello - District IX

District IX Star Farmer is Henry Boersma of the Othello FFA Chapter. Henry is son of Brad and Kristi Boersma, and his advisor is Jennifer McCann - Mason. He lives on a family farm where they raise wheat, corn, mint, alfalfa, and beans. His SAE projects include harvesting wheat, helping his grandpa plant his forest, taking care of his cow heard, and raising livestock for the spring and fall livestock show. He has learned a lot of responsibility and skills he sees himself using throughout his career in agriculture. His plans are to continue his diverse SAE as well as attend Washington State University with a major in agriculture.

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