Nine winners of the 2021 Agricultural Proficiency Awards were named during the fifth session of the 94th National FFA Convention & Expo on Friday in Indianapolis.
Agricultural Proficiency Awards honor FFA members who, through supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs), have developed specialized skills that they can apply toward their future careers. Students compete in areas ranging from agricultural communications to wildlife management. Proficiency awards are also recognized at local and state levels and provide recognition to members exploring and becoming established in agricultural career pathways.
The Minnesota winner was announced as one of the 45 categories during the fifth general convention session.
Mackenzie Henning earned her award in Grain Production -- Entrepreneurship/Placement.
Henning of the Jackson County Central FFA Chapter in Minnesota works for an independent seed corn business in her community. Starting as an intern before becoming a paid employee, her responsibilities were initially simple -- hand detasseling seed corn and working in the warehouse. The goal of detasseling is to remove all female tassels from the field of seed corn to allow for cross pollination. Henning is also involved in roguing or removing off-types from the field. She is supported by her parents, Ann and Brad, and her FFA advisors, Laura Bidne, Larry Christopher and Jeff Voss. Topcon, Valent USA Corporation and Wilbur-Ellis Company sponsor this proficiency.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 735,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Categories: Minnesota, Business, Education