Record-Keeping Skills Earn FFA Members Top Spots
Record-keeping isn’t necessarily anyone’s favorite life skill, but it’s a necessary one. When it’s
done right, it can be pretty painless and quite astounding to look back on all that you’ve
accomplished. Record-keeping is a required part of every FFA member’s Supervised
Agricultural Experience Project (SAE). It enables students to learn how to log not only incomes
and expenses from their projects, but also experiences. At the end of the year, students can
then look at their balance sheets and see what worked well for them and what they need to
improve upon.
Several Osmond FFA Members learned what record-keeping was all about when they received
the top spots in the District IV FFA Proficiency Review and earned the right to compete in the
State Competition to see how their enterprises ranked among the best in the state.
Senior Blake Bahr earned top gold in the District IV Grain Production Proficiency and has been
selected as a State Finalist (Top 3). Blake will go through an interview process during the Virtual
State Convention as he competes for the top spot in the state.
Senior Zachary Huwaldt earned top gold in the District IV Agricultural Mechanics Placement
Proficiency and received a bronze rating at the state competition.
Junior Ryan Schmit earned top gold in the District IV Diversified Agriculture Proficiency. Ryan
was awarded a silver at the state competition.
Junior Mason Gansebom earned top gold in the District IV Swine Production Placement
Proficiency. Mason’s proficiency earned a bronze at the state level.
Sophomore Caden Wingert earned top gold in the District IV Beef Production Entrepreneurship
Proficiency and second gold in the District IV Grain Production Proficiency. Both of Caden’s
proficiencies advanced to the state level, where his Grain Production Proficiency was fourth
gold and his Beef Production Proficiency was silver.
Sophomore Reese Hanna earned third gold in the District IV Agricultural Processing
Proficiency. Reese was awarded a silver rating at the state level.
Other Osmond FFA members competing at the district level were Zach Reikofski and Connor
Gutz earning silver and bronze rankings respectively.
“These students put in a lot of time making entries into our record-keeping software and filling
out the applications for these awards. Oftentimes students sell themselves short when they try
to record things from memory, so writing it down is one key to successful record-keeping”, said
Osmond FFA Advisor, Jessica Evans. “I encourage students to keep a track on a calendar, or
some use the camera roll in their phone to snap a picture while they are doing an activity which
automatically logs the day and gives them a visual reminder of what they did. FFA
record-keeping teaches these students lifelong skills that will help them be successful in the
future.”