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Biographies
Whitney Rathke
Ozaukee County
Whitney is an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at Random Lake School. She combined her love of teaching and traveling, and this summer will take students Belize.
Kallie Coates
Racine County
Kallie considers herself a “do’er of all things.” In addition to her freelance marketing and graphic design business, Kallie works part-time at her family’s meat processing facility, Harry Hansen Meat Service, while owning and operating Coates Farms. Kallie received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education at UW-Platteville and her master’s degree in agricultural communications from Texas Tech. Kallie is the Mercantile Building Co-Chairperson for the Racine County Farm Bureau and enjoys photography and crafting in her spare time.
Emily Piehler
Racine County
Emily is a first-generation beef farmer and full-time corporate credit analysist for Johnson Financial Group. Emily was introduced to agriculture by a family friend who she helped on their farm while growing up. She attended UW-Platteville where she majored in agriculture business and animal science before receiving her MBA in finance from Walden University. In her spare time, Emily enjoys running, archery, assisting on her boyfriend’s hog farm and caring for her Blue Heeler-Aussie mix dog.
Erin O'Toole
Dodge County
Erin O’Toole teaches Business Education at Horicon High School and volunteers within the district's FFA program while leading FBLA. Erin takes great pride in exposing her students to different careers, especially sharing her own career experiences within agriculture. Involvement in YFA affords Erin the opportunity to stay actively involved in the agricultural community and encourage positive changes for the future of agriculture.
Brooke Trustem
Rock County
Brooke is a sixth generation dairy farmer from
Evansville. She also works fulltime off the farm at BouMatic in
Madison. Brooke is the Rock County Farm Bureau YFA Chair along with serving on the Evansville FFA Alumni Board and WALSAA Board of Directors.
Sarah Hetke
Sauk County
Sarah is the director of industry communications and farmer outreach for Dairy Management Inc. In this role she brings more transparency to how checkoff dollars are spent and helps share farmers’ stories. Sarah grew up on a farming family in Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor’s in agricultural education - leadership and communications. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys running and assisting her husband, Andrew, in his dairy cattle photography business.
Sam Pinchart
Iowa County
Sam is a farmer and the agriscience instructor at Platteville High School. He graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural education and enjoys working with students to compete in FFA competitions and events.
Casey Lobdell
Iowa County
Casey is a Nutrition
Consultant with Reddy Ag and Ross Soil Service. He is a graduate of UW-Platteville where he studied animal science. Casey enjoys farming, showing livestock, spending time with his wife and travelling across the country. Casey got involved in Wisconsin Farm Bureau through his Rural Mutual Insurance policy and was encouraged to get involved because of family and friends. Casey serves as the Lafayette County Farm Bureau YFA Chair.
Megan Yager
Iowa County
Megan is a beef farmer from Mineral Point and the fifth generation to own her mother’s family farm. She also works full-time on her dad’s grain and cattle farm while serving as her township’s treasurer and as a substitute teacher. Megan serves as the Iowa County Farm Bureau Promotion and Education chair
Emily Herness Oates
Trempealeau County
Emily is the owner-operator of Integrity Ag, LLC., where she provides Pioneer seed and agronomy services. Emily grew up on a dairy farm before attending UW-River Falls where she studied agricultural education. Emily serves on the Trempealeau County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and enjoys raising hobby livestock, baking, gardening and being involved in the community in her spare time. Emily’s high school agriculture instructor and county Farm Bureau president gifted her with her first Farm Bureau membership and she is proud to be a part of the voice of agriculture both locally and nationally.
Andrea Rippley
Buffalo County
Andrea Rippley is the Jackson and Trempealeau County 4-H Program Educator in Whitehall. She was raised on a diverse family farm in Buffalo County, raising broiler chickens and dairy goats. She raises registered Nubian dairy goats with her mom and sister.
Collin Weltzien
Buffalo County
Collin Weltzien is a recent graduate of UW-River Falls where he studied ag business and dairy science before returning to his family’s 180-cow dairy farm near Arcadia. Off the farm, Collin enjoys hunting, golfing, softball, riding motorcycle, playing cards and is a member of the Buffalo County Farm Bureau board of directors.
Nate Zimdars
Fond du Lac County
Nate grew up on a small hobby farm near Ripon and worked on his uncle’s dairy farm. He earned an associate’s degree in history from UW-Fond du Lac before attending UW-Madison where he majored in political science and history. He is a former Wisconsin FFA State Officer and Wisconsin FFA Alumni President. He has served on the Fond du Lac County Farm Bureau board of directors, YFA committee and is a graduate of the Leadership Institute.
Chad Bruss
Green Lake County
Chad farms with his dad and brother milking cows on the farm he was raised on in Markesan. He attended UW- Platteville where he majored in animal science and was an active member of Collegiate Farm Bureau. In his free time, Chad enjoys showing cattle and going boating. He is involved in the Green Lake County Farm Bureau where he serves as the secretary/treasurer and YFA chair. Chad is a recent graduate of the Leadership Institute.
Lynn Leahy
Waushara County
Lynn is the research agronomist at Heartland Farms. She grew up on a dairy farm near Argyle. She received her bachelor’s degree in dairy science and master’s degree in horticulture, both from UW-Madison. She served as the Waushara County Farm Bureau YFA chair, is the District 5 Promotion and Education Committee representative since 2016 and served as the State Promotion and Education Committee Chair in 2021. Lynn won the YFA Excellence in Agriculture Award in 2017 and is a 2015 graduate of the Leadership Institute
Ann Glowacki
Door County
Ann Glowacki is the agricultural science teacher at Southern Door High School. She teaches 8th – 12th grade students in subject areas including: wildlife management, forestry, large animal production, small animal management, veterinary science, food science, leaders for the future and introduction to ag. She received a bachelor’s degree from UW-River Falls and loves to travel, read and raise chickens. She is a Door County Farm Bureau board member.
Rachel Harmann
Door County
Rachel is a volunteer engagement representative for the American Red Cross. She raises and shows registered beef cattle with her husband and sons. She serves as Door County Farm Bureau’s vice president and local affairs chair. Rachel earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from UW-River Falls. She is participating in AFBF’s Partners in Advocacy Leadership program; was an Alice in Dairyland finalist; Master of Beef Advocacy graduate; Wisconsin Beef Ambassador and graduated of Leadership Institute Class XIV.
David Forester
Sheboygan County
David is the portfolio commercial specialist at Oostburg State Bank. He grew up showing cattle through 4-H and has owned his own cattle for seven years. He studied agribusiness at UW-River Falls where he also served as the treasurer of the Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter. In his spare time, David enjoys motorcycling, fishing and volunteering in his community.
Anna Jones
Shawano County
Anna Jones manages the quality control lab for PEAK Genetics in Shawano. Anna received her bachelor’s degree in animal science from UW-River Falls before obtaining a master’s degree in dairy science from UW-Madison. In her free time, she enjoys running and spending time with her family and pets. Anna is a new member of the Shawano County Farm Bureau and looks forward to learning more while contributing to agriculture in greater ways.
Amanda Williams
Shawano County
Amanda is an independent dairy consultant with Barton Kiefer Dairy Consulting, working with farmers to be profitable while reaching production goals. Amanda was raised on a cash crop and cow-calf farm before attending UW-Platteville to major in animal science. Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband and sons, showing cattle, fitness and riding side-by-sides.
William Litzer
Marathon County
William Litzer works at Marathon Cheese Corp. and Litzer Dairy Farm near Marathon. He is involved with the Marathon County Farm Bureau as a director on the board, the scholarship chair, and the bylaw and historian chair. In addition to Farm Bureau, William is a cross country referee, the finance chair for his church, the Wisconsin Section 7 FFA Alumni representative, and enjoys running and snowshoeing.
Nate Kringle
Barron County
Nathan Kringle is a reproductive program senior technician for Genex. He earned a bachelor’s degree in dairy science from UW-River Falls. Nathan and his wife, Kayla, have four children: Remington, Elnora, Felix and Matthys. The couple also currently milk 8 Guernsey cows with plans to direct market milk and other dairy products. Nathan is a past YFA chair for Barron and Sawyer counties and past Policy Development committee member. He serves on the Barron County Farm Bureau board of directors.
Isaac Christienson
Polk Burnett County
Isaac is an agricultural loan officer at First Bank of Baldwin. He grew up showing sheep and hogs while being involved in FFA. Isaac is a past Wisconsin FFA State officer and a graduate of UW-River Falls where he studied agriculture business. Isaac is an avid outdoorsman with interests in photography, hiking, camping, hunting and fishing.
Lexi Cook
St. Croix County
Lexi is a DHI Technician for Central Star Coop. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm where she developed a love for showing and working with dairy cows. Lexi graduated from UW-River Falls with a degree in dairy science management. Outside of her role in agriculture, Lexi enjoys showing cows and spending time outdoors with her husband, Matthew. Lexi serves as the St. Croix Farm Bureau YFA Chair and Vice President.
Amy Silver
Originally from a seventh-generation dairy farm in Green County, Amy is an agricultural and business lender for the State Bank of Cross Plains. She worked for more than five years analyzing farm financials, further contributing to her knowledge in agricultural finance. Amy earned a dual bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and soil/crop science with an emphasis in commodity and price analysis from UW-Platteville in 2017. She has served on the Green County Farm Bureau board of directors since 2018 where she was recently elected vice president. When Amy isn’t busy helping on her family’s dairy farm near Monticello, she enjoys kayaking, wooden flower arranging and gardening.
Christa Hoffman
Christa is a business development administrator at URUS. She manages grant-funded projects focused on improving cattle management practices on farms in emerging markets. Working for a global cattle genetics company, her primary focus is providing access to artificial insemination to make long-term impacts on production and profitability of farms while establishing new commercial markets. Christa serves on the Shawano County Farm Bureau board of directors and is the co-chair for Brunch on the Farm. Christa and her husband Brad raise their two young children on the family’s dairy farm in Gresham.
Julie Wadzinski
Julie grew up on a dairy farm in Marathon County. After graduating from UW-Marathon County with an associate degree of liberal arts and sciences, she earned her bachelor’s degree in dairy science from UW-River Falls. She is finishing her Master’s degree in agribusiness from Kansas State University. Julie is the farm operations instructor at Northwood Technical College where she aspires to inspire agricultural careers in young adults while supporting life-long learners. In 2021, Julie won the WFBF Discussion Meet. Julie went on to place third in the AFBF Discussion Meet. She has also served as a delegate for Barron County, served as the District 9 YFA Representative and was the WFBF YFA Committee Chair. In her spare time, she enjoys new challenges that better herself. She enjoys hiking and camping, reading and creating memories with her son Bryan and fiancé Eduardo.
Julie Sweney
Julie is the director of communications and marketing at FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative in Madison. She serves on the Dodge County Farm Bureau board of directors and as the membership chair, is a graduate of the WFBF Leadership Institute and served as the first president of the UW-Madison Collegiate Farm Bureau. Julie and her husband Todd live in Fall River with their daughter Sadie.
Dustin and Ashley Ellis
Dustin and Ashley live in Waumandee with their two daughters, Finley and Nola. Dustin farms with his parents and brother, milking 265 cows in a double-10 parallel parlor, raising cash grain and managing their custom harvesting business. They grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa and rye. Ashley is a stay-at-home mom, does bookkeeping and helps on the farm. Dustin has an ag diesel technician degree and Ashley has a degree in accounting. They are Buffalo County Farm Bureau YFA chairs and are involved in the Buffalo County Fair where they organize the Pee Wee Livestock Show.
Heather Erdman
Heather farms in Augusta with her husband Steven and their four kids where they raise beef cattle and grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa and rye. Heather and Steven serve on the Eau Claire County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, where Heather serves as the YFA chair. Heather is a recent graduate of WFBF Leadership Institute Class 14. The Erdmans spend their days raising their kids, crops and cattle.
Kelly Oudenhoven
Kelly is co-owner and herd manager of Larrand Dairy in Outagamie County. Kelly and her husband Keith, are the fourth-generation to carry on the legacy of their family farm where they milk 450 Holsteins and farm 950 acres. Together, they have four children, Josie, Jack, Allison and Clayton, who all help with various things on the farm. Recently, Kelly opened a farm store, Larrand Specialty Farm Products, and sells direct to consumers. Kelly is on the Outagamie County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and serves as the Ag in the Classroom coordinator and Promotion and Education chair. When not farming or volunteering, Kelly enjoys spending time in her large garden, campfires and spending time with family.
Stephanie Abts
Stephanie, Keith and their son Theodore own and operate Abts Champion Beef/Dairy, a 130-cow registered Holstein dairy farm near New Franken. They raise their youngstock, steers and farm 450 acres of owned and rented land. Steers are marketed under the Abts Champion Beef label. Stephanie earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from UW-Platteville. She works for Rio Creek Feed Mill where she focuses on dairy nutrition and field consulting. When not working, she enjoys gardening and showing their registered Holsteins. As a Farm Bureau member, Stephanie is actively involved with the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau where she is the YFA chair, chairs the annual wreath sale and helps plan kiddie showmanship.
Nicole Broege
Nicole is a junior at UW-Madison studying Dairy Science with a Data Science certificate. Nicole serves as the president of Badger Dairy Club, secretary for the Association of Women in Agriculture and treasurer for Collegiate Farm Bureau. She owns and exhibits Rock-Edge Holsteins with her two sisters and has been active in the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Association.
Ethan Jackowski
Ethan is a freshman at UW- Madison studying biochemistry. Ethan was not born into agriculture but rather found his way into the sector upon joining FFA his freshman year of high school. He has been involved in many Ag in the Classroom and agriculture advocacy events while a member of FFA and looks forward to continuing that work through his involvement in Collegiate Farm Bureau.
Mindy Smits
Mindy Smits is a graduating senior studying agricultural education at UW-Platteville. She was raised with an agriculture background in swine and grain. After graduating this December, Mindy plans to return to the classroom as an agriculture instructor.
Isaac Ward
Isaac is a freshman at UW-Platteville double majoring in Crop and Soil Science and Agribusiness. Isaac became interested in pursuing a degree in agriculture by working for a local Pioneer seed dealer. Upon graduation, Isaac plans to pursue a career in agronomy.
Amy Jentges
Amy is a freshman at UW-River Falls majoring in Agricultural Education. She grew up on a small dairy farm in Ozaukee County and although her family has since sold the cows, she has remained active in agriculture through her involvement in 4-H, FFA and the Wisconsin Show Pig Association.
Michelle Stangler
Michelle is a junior at UW-River Falls studying agricultural marketing communications and Journalism. She was born and raised on a small dairy farm near Watertown and was active in both 4-H and FFA, serving as a Wisconsin FFA State Officer in 2019-2020. Michelle is passionate about agriculture communications and currently serves her Collegiate Farm Bureau as reporter and is a past Ag Day on Campus co-chair.
Midwest Dueling Pianos
Tim Gabrielson: The Magic of Comedy
Tim Gabrielson is not your average entertainer. A magician since the tender age of 12, Tim has developed a quick wit that’s only rivaled by his impeccable sense of humor. Tim takes his audience through a comedic journey that’s peppered with life lessons spanning the past 28 years. A fresh take on entertainment with a purpose, Tim leverages the humor of a stand-up comedian with a hand as sleight as Houdini himself; but it’s the power of positivity that he infuses into each and every performance that leaves a lasting impression with his audience.
Alex Sheen
Alex Sheen is the founder of because I said I would, a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept.
He is someone who truly honors commitment. Alex once walked over 240 miles across the entire state of Ohio in 10 days to fulfill a promise. Alex has impacted millions of people with the “because I said I would” message through the viral nature of social media.
His work has been featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Today Show and many other programs.
