The Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA chapter was the overall winner of the Ag Bowl Scholarship Invitational.
You just never know where life’s path is going to take you, but if you have the desire and the dream to stay in agriculture, you are on a good path.
Marshall, MN (PRWEB) March 25, 2015
When 350 high school students from 20 FFA chapters came together on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State (SMSU) for the third annual Ag Bowl Scholarship Invitational, they represented the future of agriculture. Dozens of three-member teams and many individual competitors participated in 15 Career Development Event’s (CDE) ranging from a successful job interview to farm business management.
The Howard Lake – Waverly – Winsted FFA chapter was the overall winner of the event and earned $1,000. Individual winners of six primary CDE earned a $1,000 scholarship to SMSU and second place earned a $500 scholarship to the university. Winners of the other CDE were awarded $500 scholarships to SMSU for first place and a $250 scholarship to the university for second.
Ralco is a primary sponsor of Ag Bowl Invitational because it believes investing in the next generation of agricultural leaders is an essential way to promote a safe and abundant global food supply.
“When we as a family decided to become the cornerstone of Ag Bowl, we were driven by two primary motives,” said Niter Knochenmus, co-owner of Ralco. “Number one was to give back to the agriculture community that has blessed us so greatly. Number two was to highlight and emphasize the job opportunities that are in rural America and the education that’s needed to enhance the vitality of plants and animals for a safe and abundant global food supply.”
Ag Bowl began several years ago as a partnership between SMSU, Ralco and other sponsors. The FFA scholarship portion of the event has grown considerably. Chris Hmielewski, director of athletics for SMSU, said the Knochenmus family has been instrumental to the success of the event, which is on track to become a Regional FFA Sanctioned Event.
“When it really came down to it, it was the Knochenmus family and the Mustang family that came together to create the vision for Ag Bowl,” Hmielewski said. “That has become a greater vision where FFA students can come onto our campus with their passion and experience our environment. We are very fortunate to have Ralco in our community. We have seen Ralco grow as a company and we have seen SMSU grow as a university and a supporter of agriculture. Together we have helped grow Ag Bowl into an event that reaches communities in southwest Minnesota and all of Minnesota.”
Jackson Triplett, vice president of the Howard Lake – Waverly – Winsted Chapter Committee said the experience provided by the invitational and the scholarship dollars awarded are critical to an education focused on agriculture.
“The scholarship dollars awarded really offer an incentive to further your agriculture education. It just shows how your involvement in school activities and the effort that you put into your FFA competitions can really mean a lot in the long run,” Jackson said.
Knochenmus said the challenge of meeting global food demands is going to require the engagement of young leaders like the 350 students who participated in Ag Bowl.
“You just never know where life’s path is going to take you, but if you have the desire and the dream to stay in agriculture, you are on a good path. I encourage you to pursue a career in agriculture, and I congratulate all of you,” Knochenmus said.
A list of all winners is posted on RalcoToday.com
For more information about Ralco contact:
Ryan Wendland
330 3rd Street
Balaton, MN 56115
(507) 337-6819
ryan.wendland(at)ralconutrition(dot)com