Meet your 2024 State YFA Committee
District 2 (Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Rock and Sauk counties)
Kat (Chair) and Brady Peper
209.639.1715
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 in technical sales support 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 1 (Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha counties)
Darren and Kendall (Chair-Elect) Riskedal
608.516.7269
Darren and Kendall both grew up in Illinois agriculture; Darren was raised on a row crop and beef finishing operation, and Kendall grew up involved in 4-H. Meeting through a leadership conference for 4-H and FFA members in college, Kendall and Darren are passionate about giving back to their communities through agricultural-related initiatives. Darren works for Insight FS as a precision equipment specialist and Kendall works as an account manager for broadhead in Madison.
District 3 (Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland and Vernon counties)
Morgan and Casey Lobdell
608.574.0403
Casey and Morgan were raised on farms in Southwest Wisconsin. They met through their involvement in FFA. Casey works as an animal nutrition consultant with Reddy Ag and Ross Soil. Morgan works for Cargill Animal Nutrition as a Digital MarComms Specialist. They reside in Mineral Point. Together, they raise sheep and pigs that are sold across the country for breeding stock and 4-H and FFA projects.
District 4 (Buffalo, Eau Claire, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe and Trempealeau counties)
Heather Erdman
715.577.5366
Heather raises kids, crops and cattle with her husband, Steven, on their family farm. Their four children are the fifth generation raised on their farm. As a family, they show cattle at local and national shows. Heather currently serves as the Eau Claire County YFA Chair and is an active member of the Augusta FFA Alumni Association and Friends of the Fair.
District 5 (Adams, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Juneau, Marquette, Waushara and Winnebago counties)
Victoria Smith
608.369.1486
Victoria grew up immersed in agriculture and the Farm Bureau family. Being a third-generation member, she prides herself in being part of this grassroots organization and teaching others about the importance of agriculture. Victoria currently works with children in rural communities through the Head Start program and at her local library where she helps teach future farmers and farm supporters about opportunities in farming.
District 6 (Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties)
Luke and Ashley Lisowe
920.418.0987
Luke and Ashley both grew up on their parents’ family dairy farms. Ashley graduated with a degree in dairy science from UW-River Falls. Luke graduated from UW-Madison’s Farm & Industry Short Course. Luke is part owner of his family’s dairy farm. Ashley works alongside Luke on his family’s farm while taking care of their children.
District 7 (Oconto, Outagamie, Langlade, Marinette, Shawano and Waupaca counties)
Jacob and Jennifer Hoewisch
Jake: 920.810.5640
Jennifer: 920.585.7590
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)
Jason Behrend
715.451.2291
Jason Behrend is a fourth-generation farmer. He raises hogs and rotationally grazes cattle. He enjoys learning new soil-building farming practices and has been an active member of Farm Bureau for more than ten years. Jason currently serves as the Wood County Farm Bureau YFA Chair.
District 9 (Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Chippewa, Douglas, Dunn, Iron, Pierce, Polk-Burnett, Sawyer, St. Croix and Rusk counties)
Matt and Lexi Cook
715.415.6701
Matt and Lexi live in Baldwin. Matt is a Minnesota native who did not grow up in agriculture but has always enjoyed hunting and archery sports. He moved to Wisconsin after meeting Lexi and is learning more about Wisconsin agriculture and the dairy industry. Lexi grew up on her family's dairy in Northern Wisconsin and has made dairy her career. Lexi works for Central Star Cooperative as a dairy herd information technician and works part-time milking cows for a local farm. Matt works for a feed mill in Minnesota.
Lexi serves on the St. Croix County Farm Bureau board as the YFA chair and vice president. Matt and Lexi are excited to learn more about Wisconsin Farm Bureau as they serve as the District 9 representatives.
Ex-Officio Members
Ben and Haily Sand
715.308.4633
Ben and Haily 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, including sweet corn, pumpkins, squash and apples.
In addition to their work on the farm, the couple hold off-farm jobs. Ben works for 715 Ag Supply as a Pioneer sales associate and agronomist. He also established 715 Risk Advisors, which offers all your cropping needs from soil sampling to crop and fertilizer planning to crop insurance. Haily is an independent agriculture consultant and assistant team manager with AgSource Laboratories where she advises farmers on optimizing their farms fertilizer needs, improving yields, all while saving on bottom line costs. The couple has two daughters, Ryelin and Ryverly.
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 and sponsorship at the Red Cedar Speedway. Currently, they are representing Wisconsin on the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.
