“A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship
This scholarship is a contribution to the youth of rural areas who are inspired to seek opportunities in agriculture. We feel agriculture surrounds us all in some way either directly or indirectly and we want to help individuals become successful in their agricultural goals. Our 2014 scholarship recipients are:
Sierra Wagner
$1,000 “A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship
From: Redwood Falls (Wabasso School)
College Plans: South Dakota State University
Major: Animal Science/Pre-Vet
Goal: I plan to attend ROTC classes to be an officer in the Army. The career goals upon graduation from veterinary college I wish to be a successful large animal veterinarian. I plan to be a vet in the US Army to service my country and then return to rural Minnesota to share my skills and knowledge along with operating my own farm/ranch.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful to your personal and career development? My most meaningful and memorable moments involve animals and relates to my field of study in veterinarian medicine. 4-H encompasses the organization that has benefited my knowledge of animals. Being a part of the state winning General Livestock Judging Team and going on to compete at the National Judging competition was a once in a lifetime event. This involved judging cattle, sheep, goats an swine with intense practice sessions. Some of these practice sessions were with elite college teams and meeting people from across the USA. 4-H has also allowed me to go to leadership camps, become a leader in my club as secretary. Treasurer and this year’s President. 4-H offers me to compete in horse riding events such as Western Heritage and has built my confidence as a rider. I cherish the moment of winning a state championship in Pen to Pen Sorting with my team member from another county. As a future veterinarian, I hope to involve myself with the 4-H community in hopes of education and being a role model to future generations.
Paige Netzke
$500 “A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship
From: Lamberton (Wabasso School)
College Plans: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Major: Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Goal: Upon graduation from Veterinary School at the U of M – Twin Cities, I plan to return to rural Minnesota where I will work as a large animal veterinarian. In addition to working as a veterinarian, I would like to continue to raise and sell club calves with my brothers and father.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful to your personal and career development? Redwood County 4-H and Wabasso FFA have been the most meaningful organizations to my personal and career development. Participation in these two organizations provided me the opportunity to become involved in the livestock industry by raising and exhibiting cattle, swine and sheep at local, state, regional and national show. In addition, I have learned lifelong skills and knowledge by participation in both general livestock project bowl an judging and have developed friendships with people across the upper Midwest.
Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship
This Scholarship is in memory of Andrew “Andy” McNamara, a Renville County farm boy who had the desire to be involved in production agriculture. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and was concerned for the environment. Andy is missed by all those who knew his real passions. Our 2014 scholarship recipients are:
Paige Larson
$2,000 Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship
From: Danube (BOLD)
College Plans: St. Cloud Technical and Community College
Major: Sonogragh/Medical
Goal: My career plan is to get accepted into the Sonographer Program and then further my education in the Radiology Program so I am very well rounded in my education. By having both programs in my background I will be qualified for many jobs. I will also be able to help many people, which is my ultimate goal in life.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful to your personal and career development? The most meaningful school activity in my life has been FFA. Throughout my years in FFA there have been a lot of challenges I have had to face and a lot of great moments. FFA has taught me many things that I can use as I continue to develop as a person and as I get ready to further my education. The biggest aspect I have learned from my past years is to always trust the people you are working with and always have a backup plan. Throughout my years in the BOLD FFA Chapter I have been very fortunate to have been elected an officer every year I have been a part of the chapter. However, I have also had three different advisors throughout my time in FFA. Some of these advisors were outstanding and some were not so good, but I learned to stick together with the other officers. Sometimes you can’t
do something all by yourself and it is okay to ask for help because people are always willing to help. I always become very close to the officer team, the officer team is just like my extended family. As a FFA Chapter we have been through more than most chapters have been. We have been through things like getting left at State FFA while our advisor’s wife was having a baby with no other adults, planning and coordinating the whole community appreciation breakfast with no advisor because of an ear infection and many more. The community has always been there for our FFA Chapter and we cannot thank everyone enough. I live in an outstanding community.
Ryan Rauenhorst
$1,000 Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship
From: Olivia (BOLD)
College Plans: MSU Mankato
Major: Aviation/Electrical Engineering
Goal: I plan to get an education in aviation and electrical engineering so I can return to this area and develop drone technology to be used in agriculture.
What community or school activity has been the most meaningful to your personal and career development? My sports have taught me teamwork and how to stay mentally strong through stressful situations. FFA has helped me understand agriculture more and helped me realize the use that drones could possess in agriculture. NHS has taught me the value of community service and giving back.
We are proud to support our local graduates advancing their careers! If you are interested in a scholarship for next year, please click here for scholarships information on our website!
As the last of the 2014 crop gets planted into the ground, and the summer weather begins to return, (finally), I find myself in another internship with Corn Capital Innovations. For those of you who are unfamiliar with me, my name is Reed Nelson. I am an Olivia, Minnesota native, as well as, a senior at St. Cloud State University. I am currently in my last year of pursuing a business degree with an emphasis in Marketing. As an intern for Corn Capital Innovations last summer, I was exposed to: net effective plant stands (NEPS), soil sampling, field scouting, plot management, sales camp, Ag Venture Inc.(AVI) summer meeting, warehouse inventory process, intern training sessions, and much more. This summer, I plan to experience a lot of the activities listed above, as well as, expanding my experiences and knowledge.
What is your farm’s strategy for the future? 
