Agricultural Proficiency Awards - a special project of the South Dakota FFA Foundation, Inc.

Agricultural Proficiency Awards Program

FFA member working on a project

The Agricultural Proficiency Award program recognizes excellence in supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs. FFA members are rewarded at the local, state and national levels for exceptional accomplishments in progressing toward agricultural careers

FFA members can select from two proficiency award categories. The “placement” category is for work or experience-only SAE programs, such as working at a nursery or as an employee on a hog farm. The “entrepreneurship,” category is for programs that typically involve ownership of an agricultural production or agribusiness enterprise. Such SAE programs could include crop or livestock production, a custom hay baling business, lawn mowing business, etc.

One easy way to determine the difference between these two is ownership. For example, a student who works as a paid employee on a hog farm has a "placement" program; a student who owns and produces the hogs has an "entrepreneurship" program. Categories are combined in areas where neither is noted.

FFA member floriculture project

State Awards

Plaques for the top three individuals in South Dakota in addition to $50 to the second place individual and $25 to the third place individual ($100 to the high individual comes from the National FFA if application competes nationally, or by SD FFA Foundation if application does not) are awarded through $250 sponsorships to the South Dakota FFA Foundation for Proficiency award areas. If individuals are chosen as National Finalists, the sponsorship also covers a $100 travel scholarship for their interview at National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN.

South Dakota FFA 2008 Agricultural Proficiency Area Sponsors

(E = Entrepreneurship, P = Placement)

Ag Communications - E/P	Tri State Neighbor, Sioux Falls
Ag Education - E/P	Lon Moeller Family
Ag Mechanics Design and Fabrication - E/P	Cammack Ranch Supply, Union Center
Ag Mechanics Repair and Maintenance - E/P	Butler Machinery Company
Ag Mechanics Energy Systems - E/P	SD FFA Foundation
Ag Processing - E/P	SD Soybean Processors, Volga
Ag Sales – E	Legend Seed, De Smet
Ag Sales – P	Hojer Gelbvieh Ranch, Lake Preston
Ag Services - E/P	Midwest Cooperatives, Pierre Northern Plains Cooperative, Gettysburg Eastern Farmers Cooperative, Garretson
Aquaculture - E/P	SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Beef Production – E	Jensen Charolais, Lake Preston Odden Charolais Ranch, Lake Preston Stewart Charolais, Lake Preston Vedvei Charolais, Lake Preston Wienk Charolais, Lake Preston
Beef Production – P	SD Cattleman's Association
Dairy Production – E	SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Dairy Production – P	Associated Milk Producers Inc.
Diversified Crop Production – E	Golden Harvest
Diversified Crop Production – P	Syngenta and NK Seeds
Diversified Horticulture – E	SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Diversified Livestock Production – E	McFleeg Feeds First Dakota National Bank of Yankton
Diversified Livestock Production – P	Sioux Nation Ag Center of SD and IA
Diversified Ag Production - E/P	Lake Preston Cooperative
Emerging Ag Technology - E/P	Kimball Livestock Exchange, Kimball
Environ. Sci. and Natural Resources Mgmt. - E/P	SD Assn of Conservation Districts
Equine Science – E	Amani Arabians, Kim Niven and Tim Anderson
Equine Science – P	Scott Cammack, Sturgis Dawn Nagel, Onaka Susan Stoterau Webster FFA
Fiber and/or Oil Crop Production - E/P	SD Soybean Research and Promotion Council
Floriculture - E/P	Norm and Mary Rae Peterson, Montrose
Food Science and Technology - E/P	Milbank Community Foundation SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Forage Production - E/P	Kuecker Seed Farm, Inc., Webster
Forest Management and Products - E/P	SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Fruit Production - E/P	MinnTex, Windom, MN
Grain Production – E	SD Corn Utilization Council
Grain Production – P	SD Wheat Commission
Home and/or Community Development - E/P	Monsanto
Landscape Management - E/P	SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Nursery Operations - E/P	SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Outdoor Recreation – E/P	Schoenbeck Law, Watertown and Jack's Campers, Mitchell
Poultry Production - E/P	SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Sheep Production - E/P	Newell Ram Sale Iowa Lamb
Small Animal Production and Care – E/P	Mike McIntyre, Winfred
Specialty Animal Production – E/P	Roger DeRouchey and SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Specialty Crop Production - E/P	Howe Seeds, Inc, McLaughlin Hansmeier & Son, Inc., Bristol
Swine Production – E	SD Pork Producers Council
Swine Production – P	Murphy Farms and Clark County Contract Growers
Turf Grass Management – E/P	Croplan Genetics
Vegetable Production - E/P	In Memory of Bill and Stella Hanson by Clark and Lyla Hanson, and SD FFA Foundation, Inc.
Wildlife Production and Mgmt – E	Cabela's
Wildlife Production and Mgmt – P	Craig and Maure Weinkauf, In Memory of Arthur J. Weinkauf, Watertown

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