The 2025 Minnesota State Convention theme was “Stand as One.”

Walking around the 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus, attendees could see just how connected the students were.

From a big dance party to cheering each other on to congratulating each other on stage, Minnesota FFA students showed how they “Stand as One” no matter which chapter they are from.

“Congratulations to all of the students,” said Gail Donkers, vice chair of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) and Minnesota FFA Foundation board member. “My advice is, take advantage of every opportunity you can, whether it’s traveling abroad, going to college, whether it’s going to a new event with somebody who has more experience than you do and can mentor you in different ways. Take advantage of every opportunity that you can because sometimes the opportunity never comes again so you have to take advantage of it when it arises.”

The Council sponsored two proficiency awards, Agriscience Research- Plant Systems and Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production, and one career development event (CDE) in agronomy.

“I think it’s super important for MSR&PC to sponsor FFA because we are supporting the future of agriculture,” Donkers said. “I think we make a difference by donating to FFA. We want to support the future of agriculture. We know that farmers are less than 2% of careers today, and how are we going to get other people into the career that we all enjoy and love so much if we don’t support our youth?”

The proficiency awards recognize FFA members who are exploring and becoming established in agriculture careers through supervised agricultural experiences. CDEs are competitions meant to help students develop skills and knowledge regarding careers in agriculture and related career fields.

‘Blue jacket family’

More than 5,700 FFA members from around Minnesota gathered in late April at the University of Minnesota for the convention. The members participated in general sessions, competitive events, educational tours, leadership workshops and more.

“The beautiful part about supporting FFA through the Foundation is you’re supporting a student, you’re supporting communities and you’re supporting statewide programming so at any level you’re having a major impact on young people who will have the skills to grow their communities,” MN FFA Foundation Executive Director Val Aarsvold said.

Grace Sullivan was the first-place recipient of the Agriscience Research-Plant Systems award. She is an FFA member of the Cedar Mountain chapter. Brok Roggatz, with the Tracy Area FFA Chapter received first place in the Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production competition.

“I’m pretty excited right now to win this,” Roggatz said. “I’ve worked hard for all my applications, so it’s nice to be up here on the stage and receive this first-place plaque for Fiber Oil and/or production.”

His project focused on growing soybeans on his family farm in southwest Minnesota. Roggatz is a senior at Tracy Area High School and plans to attend Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, S.D., before returning to his family farm.

Noah Sevcik, a member of the Maple River FFA Chapter, placed first as an individual for the Agronomy competition, and the team first place honors went to the Maple River FFA team.

The Council also helped sponsor fuel for shuttles that took students from location to location for various events during the State FFA Convention. Outside of the State Convention, MSR&PC sponsored two new FFA chapters in 2025.

“We are so grateful for this year and that continuation, and we hope that those chapters go on to do great things, but they’ve been backed by Minnesota Soybean,” Aarsvold said.

The FFA Foundation welcomed four new FFA chapters in 2025, and the Council’s checkoff support provided two of those chapters with start-up kits. Aarsvold said that even though not every student has the famous FFA jacket when they join, the organization tries to provide banners and jackets to all its members.

“The jacket is symbolic,” she said, “and it’s also like a ticket to opportunities and that’s exciting to see.”

The Minnesota FFA Foundation supports scholarships, youth leadership development, teacher preparation, and the Minnesota FFA State Convention, empowering young people to become agriculture advocates and providing teachers with real-life learning experiences for their students.

“I was an FFA member. I believe in the future of farming with a faith born not of words, but of deeds,” Donkers said. “That’s the first line of the FFA Creed, which we all learn in ninth grade ag class. I think that FFA helped mold me into the person that I am today because of the different activities that I was in. My kids and my husband were very active in FFA. I would call us a blue jacket family, because we all participated in a lot in different FFA events. I’m also very active in our local area, on our FFA alumni board as well.”

True to her word, Donkers was an officer in her local Wanamingo FFA Chapter and a regional officer. She won state FFA with her diversified sheep project. She’s participated in livestock judging, poultry judging, general livestock judging and many different events. Donkers exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair, and is a previous winner of the prestigious Douglas K. Baldwin award winner, which recognizes members for their involvement and promoting animal agriculture within FFA. Two of Donkers’ children, Abby and Riley, have also won the Douglas K. Baldwin award.

During the convention, A.J. Duerr, a lobbyist with the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, was inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame for his work advocating on behalf of FFA at the Capitol in St. Paul.