Meet your 2022 State YFA Committee
District 1 (Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha counties)
Bob Nash, Committee Chair
262.617.7170
Not growing up on a farm, Bob found his passion for agriculture at a young age when he joined 4-H and began showing calves. His passion for agriculture only grew with his involvement in 4-H, which led him to go to UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course. He worked on a farm where his primary duties were working with the fresh cows and herd checks, amongst other fieldwork. Bob works for Mike Karrels Trucking as an operator. After work each day, he works by neighboring farms. Helping with fieldwork, chopping corn and packing the bunker silo are some of his favorite farm jobs.
Bob is the Ozaukee County YFA co-chair and organizes a 3-month winter volleyball league each year, along with other events throughout the county. He helps with membership growth and at the county fair food stand. In the past, he has participated in the discussion meet at the district and state levels. In his spare time, he enjoys playing volleyball, auto racing and spending time with his family in Crandon.
District 2 (Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Rock and Sauk counties)
Kat and Brady Peper
Kat and Brady raise beef cattle and grow crops and hay on approximately 200 acres on their farm near Rock Springs. Additionally, Brady owns and operates a welding and fabrication business. Kat works as a technical services manager for CRV USA. The Pepers serve on the Sauk County Farm Bureau board of directors; Brady serves as both the YFA chair and Local Affairs chair, while Kat serves as the Promotion and Education chair and is the county’s secretary.
District 3 (Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland and Vernon counties)
Andy Dal Santo
608.214.7219
Andy grew up on his family’s 100-acre farm on the Wisconsin-Illinois state line in South Beloit, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business with an emphasis in agricultural engineering and a minor in building construction management from UW-Platteville in 2013. Andy began his career as a precision ag agronomist in the Southwest Wisconsin area creating variable-rate seed and fertilizer plans for area farmers. He is an instructor at Southwest Technical College. In his spare time, Andy enjoys spending time with his family, boating on the Mississippi and being involved with Wisconsin Farm Bureau.
District 4 (Buffalo, Eau Claire, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe and Trempealeau counties)
Keith and Savannah Henke
Keith grew up on a dairy farm in Stanley before pursuing a degree in industrial mechanics at Chippewa Valley Technical College. He works for Jim Hershey Trucking driving railroad ties from Bangor to Hixton. Savannah did not grow up on a farm, but her grandparents were just down the road from a Brown Swiss farm, where she grew to love the big brown cow. She showed Brown Swiss at the county, state and national levels in addition to being an active member of 4-H and FFA. Savannah earned a degree in dairy science and agricultural business from UW-River Falls. She is a graduate of WFBF’s Leadership Institute. Savannah is the plant manager at the Land O’ Lakes Animal Milk Solutions plant in Black River Falls. Additionally, she just received her master’s degree in organizational leadership and development. The Henkes serve on the Jackson County Farm Bureau board of directors; Savannah serves as the YFA chair.
District 5 (Adams, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Juneau, Marquette, Waushara and Winnebago counties)
Sara Menard Huber
318.572.9731
Sara may not be a Wisconsin native, but agriculture runs deep in her roots. Her father, an FFA advisor, is the reason she became interested in agriculture from a young age. She was active in 4-H and FFA showing livestock and participating in cooking competitions. Sara attended Louisiana State University where she met a food science professor who guided her education and career path. After earning a master’s degree from Kansas State University in food science, Sara received a job offer from Grande Custom Ingredients in Fond du Lac and has called Wisconsin home ever since. She works as a senior food scientist at Brakebush Brothers in Westfield where she works with national restaurant chains to develop new chicken offerings.
District 6 (Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties)
Lauren VandenLangenberg
920.905.0633
Lauren is a crop insurance agent for Nicolet National Bank based out of Manitowoc. In this role, she provides agricultural insurance products, including crop, livestock and milk insurance, throughout Wisconsin. Lauren grew up on her family’s dairy farm near Ashland and was an active member of her local 4-H club where she showed cattle and horses. She graduated from UW-River Falls with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business with a dairy science minor. Lauren serves on the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau board of directors and is a graduate of WFBF’s Leadership Institute.
District 7 (Oconto, Outagamie, Langlade, Marinette, Shawano and Waupaca counties)
Jacob and Jennifer Hoewisch
Jacob and Jennifer are fifth-generation farmers on Jacob’s family dairy farm near Fremont. Jacob is a graduate of Fox Valley Technical College and has served as the Waupaca County YFA chair for the past five years. Jennifer is a registered nurse at the local hospital. They have two daughters: Adalynn and Everlee.
District 8 (Clark, Lincoln, Marathon, Portage, Price, Taylor and Wood counties)
Alissa Sosnovske
Alissa farms with her family on their dairy farm near Gleason. Growing up, she was a member of 4-H, FFA and the Lincoln County Junior Dairy Committee. Alongside her family, Alissa raises registered Holsteins and Red and White Holsteins. She manages the farm’s youngstock.
District 9 (Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Chippewa, Douglas, Dunn, Iron, Pierce, Polk-Burnett, Sawyer, St. Croix and Rusk counties)
Ben & Haily Sand
715.308.4633
Ben and Haily Sand purchased their farm, south of Menomonie, in 2018 where they farm as Sand Grains LLC. On the farm, the couple grows corn, soybeans, rye and fresh produce. In addition to their work on the farm, the couple holds off-farm jobs. Ben works for Anderson Agribusiness where he sells Pioneer seed and provides crop consulting services. He owns 715 Risk Advisors LLC, which offers crop insurance and also is a real estate agent for LANDPROZ, specializing in agricultural and recreational real estate. Haily is an independent agriculture consultant with AgSource/VAS Laboratories where she takes soil and plant tissue samples and works with farmers to create and review nutrient management plans. The couple has a daughter named Ryelin. Their Farm Bureau involvement includes serving as Dunn County Farm Bureau board members, where they helped with the Dunn County Dairy Drive-Thru along with the Dunn County Farm Bureau food stand. Something new they tried was handing out milk and string cheese at Menomonie’s Winter Daze parade and had great success.
Ex-Officio Member
Sally Turpin
608.462.3387
Sally is a UW–Madison graduate working as a dairy consultant at Star Blends. She has served as the Juneau County YFA chair since 2014 and is a Class VI Farm Bureau Leadership Institute graduate. In her free time, Turpin enjoys helping on her home farm, previously a dairy now raising beef cow-calf pairs.
