Missouri FFA News Releases

April Kiehl state winner 2009 Missouri FFA Fruit Production Entrepreneurship and Placement Proficiency Award

COLUMBIA , Mo., April 16, 2009 – April Kiehl of the Meadville FFA Chapter, Meadville, Mo., was named the state winner of the FFA Fruit Production Entrepreneurship and Placement Award at the 81^st Missouri FFA Convention.

Kiehl, a senior at Meadville High School, is the daughter of Don and Lori Kiehl. Her FFA advisors are Jeff Haley and Neal Wolf.

As an FFA member, Kiehl attended national FFA convention and state FFA Leadership Camp. In 2006, she took part in a state young farmer tour. Outside of FFA, Kiehl is her class secretary and is a member of the Meadville student council.

Kiehl’s Supervised Agricultural Experience Program (SAE) started when she began helping at her family pecan orchard. The pecan orchard has been in her family for four generations.

She learned to run, operate, and maintain the equipment used on the orchard. Kiehl said her long term goals include showing her younger brother how to operate the business during high school while she attends a four year university, dual majoring in agribusiness and agriculture economics.

Proficiency awards recognize FFA members who excel as agricultural entrepreneurs, employees or volunteers while gaining hands-on career experience. Fruit Production Entrepreneurship and Placement is one of 47 proficiency awards presented at the state level.

The Missouri FFA Association of Jefferson City, Mo. sponsored this award.

The Missouri FFA has 24,410 members representing 317 chapters. The national organization has more than 507,000 members representing 7,439 local chapters in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands .

The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.