Central Wisconsin News

Mid-State Technical College has recognized the Owen-Withee High School FFA chapter with its 2025 Regional FFA Career Development Events (CDE) Chapter of Excellence Award. The accolade was presented at Owen-Withee High School’s annual FFA banquet on April 30, 2025.

The award acknowledges outstanding performance in regional FFA CDE contests held at Mid-State’s Wisconsin Rapids Campus in March. Nearly 1,000 students from 43 schools participated, marking it as the largest FFA CDE event organized by Mid-State to date. Competitions included forestry, floriculture, dairy cattle and livestock judging, and vet science. Successful teams advanced to a state competition in Madison in April.

Owen-Withee FFA distinguished itself with ten top-10 individual placements and five top-10 team placements at the regional event. Their accomplishments featured:

- First place agronomy team with individuals ranking 1st, 2nd, 13th, and 14th. Riley Dieball secured first place in agronomy.

- First place forestry team with members placing 3rd, 7th, 9th, and 12th.

- First place milk quality and products team with individuals placing 1st, 3rd, 34th, and 58th. Sam Stephans took first place in milk quality and products.

“This award reflects not just participation but excellence and consistency across a wide range of contests,” said Dr. Alex Lendved, dean of the Marshfield Campus and School of Applied Technology. “We are proud to recognize Owen-Withee’s remarkable performance and the dedication of their student competitors and advisors.”

FFA Career Development Events aim to enhance college- and career-readiness skills for students in grades seven through twelve. They focus on developing critical-thinking abilities, effective decision-making skills, teamwork promotion, communication enhancement while acknowledging ethical competition's value.

Mid-State plans to host another regional event on March 24, 2026. Further information about the FFA CDEs hosted at Mid-State can be found at mstc.edu/ffa-cde.