The Belle Plaine FFA Chapter has been very busy over the past year. Our chapter has done many activities since our annual family-member banquet back in May 2024, to National FFA Week in 2025. The 2024-2025 officer team was announced at this time, which included: President- Kyla Shaull; Vice President-Layne McLeod; Secretary- Addison Stamp; Treasurer – Eva Brannaman; Reporter – Denisyn Adams; Sentinel - Lillian Wickwire, Officers-at-Large Parker Weeda, Jackson Weeda, and Maggie Bostian. This year is Mr. John Daniels’ fourth year in Belle Plaine as the Agriculture Education Instructor and FFA Advisor and 17th year teaching overall. 

Belle Plaine FFA kicked off their year by hosting their annual Pedal Tractor Pull on July 4. Members set up on the tennis courts in Franklin Park and hosted over 30 kids ages 3-7 to help celebrate July 4. Winners in each age division received a ribbon and a toy tractor as a prize. 

Career success and career exploration was a chapter objective during September. In September, four members competed in the Iowa FFA State Milk Quality and Products contest. Members Denisyn Adams, Kennedy Coover, Stella Rupp, and Reghan De Rycke received a silver in the contest that saw over 30 participating teams from across Iowa. The contest had members demonstrate their knowledge and skill by taking a general knowledge test, a team test, and evaluate dairy products ranging from different types of cheese to different dairy and non-dairy product evaluations. Also in September, the Belle Plaine FFA Chapter competed in two soil judging contests. Parker Weeda, Jackson Weeda, Lane Vokoun, and Maddox Purk competed at the Quad-County Soil Contest hosted by the NRCS. This same team competed a week later at the Southeast District FFA Soil Evaluation Career Development Event. At the District Contest, the soils team received a silver rating. 

Personal growth and leadership development was a chapter focus in October. Twenty – six members attended the Greenhand Fire Up Conference, and six members were sent to the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. On Jan. 22, chapter officers visited the Capitol Building in Des Moines as part of the annual FFA Legislative Symposium to advocate for agricultural education and FFA in our public schools. 

Service was a theme for the month of November. Early in the month, members volunteered their time to clean a 2 mile stretch of Highway 21 as part of the Adopt-a-Highway Program. Members also helped decorate the Belle Plaine Community Christmas Tree in November and held their annual fruit, meat, cheese, popcorn, and poinsettia sale. Members were responsible for the growth, management, marketing, and sales of poinsettias from the chapter greenhouse. Chapter officers helped students at Longfellow Elementary get into the Christmas spirit by dressing as Santa and his elves and reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and the Grinch and passing out candy canes to students. 

As National FFA Week gets underway during the week of Feb. 17-21, the Belle Plaine FFA Chapter has a number of activities planned to help celebrate the week. On Thursday, Feb. 13, chapter members will travel to North Mahaska High School to compete at the Sub-District FFA Leadership Development Event Contests. Belle Plaine will have students compete in the following contests: 

Conduct of Meetings: Carly McLeod, Jadie Dahlquist, Taylor Johnson, Annika Hultquist, Allison Hoover, Reghan De Rycke, and Kyla Elliott 

Job Interview: Kyla Shaull 

Ag Broadcasting: Denisyn Adams 

FFA Creed Speaking: Addison Stamp 

Welding: Gabe Kaplan and Parker Weeda 

Public Speaking: Maggie Bostian 

Chapter members will be spending time at Longfellow Elementary reading to elementary students during their reading intervention times, dressing up at the high school, displaying facts about FFA and agriculture, and holding a faculty breakfast at the high school. 

Other upcoming events include a chapter ski trip, District FFA Convention, State FFA Convention, 3rd Grade Ag Safety Day, annual plant sale, and our Chapter FFA Banquet among many other activities that will happen during the Spring and Summer months. 

As always, we extend our sincerest gratitude to the Belle Plaine Community for their continuous support to the Belle Plaine Agriculture Education Program, and FFA Chapter. 

To stay up to date with the latest happenings within the Belle Plaine FFA Chapter you can follow the chapter on Facebook.

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