FFA Farm Safety Teams Qualify for State Fair Championship

Farm Safety FFA teams from Canton, Milbank, Platte-Geddes and Wessington Springs qualified during the FFA State Convention for the 2024 South Dakota Farmers Union Farm Safety Quiz Bowl Championship.

Held August 31, during Farmers Union Day at the South Dakota State Fair, the state’s largest agriculture organization holds the annual competition to keep farm safety top of mind for teens.

“Most farm and ranch families have been impacted by an accident. Farmers Union works to educate South Dakota youth so they can make safe decisions,” explained Doug Sombke, SDFU President and fourth-generation Conde farmer.

Due to the rural nature of the state, Platte-Geddes FFA Advisor Cayla Graves said farm safety education is important for all youth. “Because we live in a very ag-based community, whether they live on a farm or not, most youth spend time on farms or ranches – maybe they work for a farmer or they visit a friend’s farm.”

Graves said because of its design, Farmers Union Team Up for Safety Quiz Bowl is a great way for students to learn more about farm safety. “Kids are competitive,” Graves explained. “Anytime you add that element of competition in, they seem to buy-in more.”

Canton FFA member, JJ Rupe agreed. “The contest made me think about some new aspects of farm safety – like weight limits of an ATV,” said Rupe, who will be a senior fall 2024.

Rupe grew up working on his grandparents’ farm and said most of what he knows about farm safety he learned from his Grandpa Denny. “My grandpa got his hand caught in a combine. After that he got really big into farm safety and telling us what we need to do to be safe.”

The accident happened when Rupe’s mom, Laurie was a teen. Fortunately, doctors were able to save Denny’s hand.

Like Rupe, Sutton Sluka grew up hearing about farm safety because the Platte-Geddes FFA member’s uncle lost a finger in a farm accident. Sluka’s uncle was a teen when the accident happened. “My dad is always preaching about farm safety. Between PTOs, chains, belts, grain bins and cattle, my dad reminds me that it only takes a second for an accident to happen, so I need to always be aware.”

Stluka said although he already knew quite a bit about farm safety before the quiz bowl, he did gain additional safety knowledge during the event. “If you miss a question and the other team gets it right, you learn from their answer. So, we were not only competing, but also learning.”

The 2024 State Convention was the second time Avery VanOverbeke and his teammates competed in the Quiz Bowl. In 2023 they did not qualify for the State Fair Championship. The high school senior said qualifying for the championship means a lot to him and his three friends.

“State Fair Quiz Bowl will be a good opportunity for us to unite and see each other again, because we are going all over for college after high school,” VanOverbeke said of the friends he grew up with since kindergarten.

In addition to FFA, he and another teammate are also Eagle Scouts. “As an Eagle Scout, we believe everyone should know First Aid because you never know when an emergency will happen, and you may be the person who needs to act.”

With summer break just weeks away, Wessington Springs FFA member Mariah Messmer, said she will be busy working on her family’s farm, but she does plan to make time to study up a bit ahead of the competition. “I will take some farm safety quizlets,” Messmer said. “Farm safety is something I will be thinking about more now that I know I will be competing. And really everyone should think about it because in the future not everyone goes back to their farm, but you could use your farm safety knowledge to help out in any situation whether you live on farm or not.”

Teams qualifying for the State Fair Championship Farm Safety Quiz Bowl and their members are: Canton FFA – Jacob Rupe, Conley Winquist, Owen Gard and Alyssa Richmond; Platte-Geddes FFA Chapter – Sutton Stluka, Garret Varilek, Harper Kirsch and Hannah Kirsch; Wessington Springs FFA Chapter – Holden Jackson, Haiden Boschee, Mariah Messmer and Addyson Orth; Milbank FFA Chapter – Landon Novy, Avery VanOverbeke, Kaden Schweer and Nick Fonder.