Star Awards

Regional Star Farmers

Region 1: Richard David James Pince, Shoshoni FFA
Richard farms 8 acres of alfalfa, 3 acres of sugarbeets and is an employee for Dennis Pince Farms and Pince Incorporated.  Rick is a fourth generation farmer.  His alfalfa is cut twice a year and sold to livestock producers across the state.  The sugarbeets are contracted out to the Wyoming Sugar Company, yielding him more than $10,000 profit just last year.  Rick has received an appointment to the U.S. Naval academy where he will major in Aeronautical engineering, eventually pursuing a career as a naval aviator.  He plans to use the income incurred through his military service to actively fund the family farm in Wyoming .

Region 2: Jared Boardman, Rocky Mountain FFA Chapter
Jared started his herd with 1 breeding lamb, and now owns 40 ewes, 1 ram, 4 cows and 2 ranch horses in addition to working more than 1,100 hours in agricultural placement.  Jared works for his dad in exchange for hay and pasture to feed his lambs, and partners with his brother on much of the labor.  Jared passes on what he has learned to younger 4-H and FFA members through fitting and showing clinics.  Next year, Jared will attend Northwest College in Powell and study agricultural engineering and participate on the livestock judging team.

Region 3: Raenell Edsall, Devils Tower
Raenell ia a fifth generation rancher.  Her SAE consists of 30 Rambouillet breeding sheep.  Her crop lambs are sold at the end of the summer at the local sale barn, and buck lambs are sold to local ranchers.  Raenell plans to attend the University of Wyoming majoring in agricultural business, then return to the family ranch.  She also plans to continue to grow her sheep herd and become a prominent sheep producer in Wyoming . 

Region 4: Karren Lewis, Snowy Range FFA
Karren’s interest in raising sheep started when she was 4 years old.  She now has 47 breeding ewes and 2 rams.  She also raises her own market lambs to show each summer, along with 4 market hogs.  The funds raised from the hogs helps to offset the cost of her breeding sheep operation.  Karren prides herself on raising a high quality product while keeping an eye on the bottom line.  Karren plans to attend either Michigan State of the University of North Carolina double majoring in molecular biology and Spanish.  She hopes to one day work in the Doctors without Borders program in Central America .

Region 5: Brittany Epler, Southeast FFA
Bryttni’s SAE consists of 15 ewes, 1 ram, 4 market hogs and 2 market swine.  Bryttni accomplished her goal of increasing the quality of her flock by only retaining ewes that had characteristics that followed industry trends.  Her hard work paid off with a division win at the 2004 Wyoming State Fair.  Bryttni will attend the University of Wyoming next year, majoring in agricultural business.  She plans to get her law degree and practice agricultural law.

State Star Farmer: Tanya Hamner, Lyman FFA
Our State Star Farmer has 38 head of Columbia breeding sheep, 8 head of commercial breeding and market beef and 1 horse and market swine.  She has taken advantage of the youth ag loan program through Farm Credit Services to improve her SAE and increase the size of her herd.  She works with area ranchers in exchange for land to raise her animals.  She currently attends Northwest Community College majoring in agricultural communications and agricultural education.

Regional Stars in Agribusiness

Region 1: Kolby Condos, Lyman FFA
Kolby started his SAE working for his dad in the gravel pits.  Now he owns his own landscaping and yard care business.  He started with just a few customers, but word of his work ethic and quality product quickly spread through the community and his customer base soon expanded.  Kolby plans to advertise in local papers this summer.  The profits from his business will be used to offset his college expenses.  Kolby plans to receive his Associates Degree and then attend a college of Chiropractic care and eventually open his own practice in a small community to raise his family.

Region 2: Casey Sorenson, Rocky Mountain FFA
Casey started working for his dad at the age of 11, working 5 hours a day in the summer at their shop.  Now Casey owns his own cattle business, raising Black Maximizer cattle, a new breed of cattle.  Because this is a new breed of cattle, stock is hard to come by.  He plans to market embryos and semen to interested buyers in the country.  In addition to his cattle business, Casey raises market lambs and works for his family’s business.  After college, he hopes to be an agricultural engineer or Chiropracter.

Regional Stars in Placement

Region 1: Kaden Harris, Jim Bridger FFA
Kaden lives on the Granger Ranch where he works as an employee for J.R. Broadbent Company.  Kaden does a little of everything on the ranch, from working in the hay fields to helping rotate summer pastures.  His most recent responsibilities center around ensuring the wells an pumps work properly for the ranch livestock.  He oversees other employees, working 2-4 hours a day during the school year and 8-15 hours a day in the summers.  After graduating from high school, Kaden plans to complete a 2 year mission for his church and then complete his education as a Journeyman lineman or electrician.

Region 2: Kelsey Guffey, Thermopolis
Kelsey has completed numerous jobs over her FFA career, including a research project, working for a greenhouse and more than 1,500 hours at Cosumer’s Thriftway in food science placement.  The research project for the Lightning C Ranch consisted of studying mineral consumption for cattle on pasture using a management intensive grazing system and alternative irrigation techniques.  She hopes to attend Texas A & M University and major in animal biology, eventually pursuing a doctorate degree and pursue a career in animal genetics.

Region 3: Tio Winter, Clear Creek
Tio’s SAE is full time ranch work in beef placement on Sheridan Ranches, a beef cattle ranch of approximately 47,000 acres.  Tio helps run more than a thousand head of mother cows, 400 bred heifers and 500 replacement heifer yearlings.  Tio does a little of everything, from taking care of the water for the cattle to operating heavy equipment to dig up pipeline.  He is also proficient in using chemicals, repairing fence and operating all of the ranch’s equipment.  He hopes to attend college and obtain his civil engineering degree. 

Region 4: Matthew Padilla, Casper
Matthew works for his grandfather on his dairy farm in near Fort Morgan , Colorado .    The farm has 325 acres of corn and alfalfa and runs about 300 Holstein cows.  Milk from the cattle is marketed to the Dairy Farmers Association where it is then bottled and sold across the region.  Matthew participates in all aspects of the dairy farm, including spraying weeds, irrigating alfalfa and corn, operate machinery, milk cows and disease control.  Matthew currently attends Northeastern Junior College in Sterling , Colorado , majoring in agriculture production. He hopes to one day purchase the dairy farm from his grandpa or or buy his own 700 cow dairy farm

Region 5: Bethany Kopsa, Cheyenne High Plains
Bethany started her placement work when she needed a job to help offset the expenses of owning a horse.  She started working at McDonald’s when she was 15.  Bethany has worked her way up in the store, starting as a crew member.  She is now a shift manager, working in all areas, including training new employees and making daily deposits.  Bethany also works for Rabou Ranches and raises market hogs.    She will attend Sheridan College and plans to pursue a degree in psychology.