Mahnomen's Shawna Hoseth is Star Farmer
By Carol Stender
cstender@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 05/19/2010 3:37 PM
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MAHNOMEN, Minn. — Keeping records for her beef operation is second nature for Mahnomen High School senior Shawna Hoseth.
She learned the importance of tracking her animal costs from her parents, Blair and Deb, with assistance from her FFA advisor Dale Erickson.
Attention to detail and working with her herd has garnered her Minnesota FFA's Star Farmer honors.
Hoseth's herd got its start when she was only 10 years old. With her parents' help, she applied for and received a Farm Service Agency youth loan. She purchased four bred registered Angus, each with a calf by their side, with the money, she said.
From the moment the cows came on the family's Mahnomen farm, the animals were easy to spot. Hoseth's cattle were given blue eartags while the family's cows had white, she said.
Her parents manage a 150-cow beef herd and a feedlot. They also farm 800 acres of corn, soybeans and hay, she said.
She started showing cattle in 4-H. She's a member of the Popple Grove club and is president of the chapter and the Mahnomen County 4-H Federation.
Hoseth joined FFA as a freshman and began taking agriculture courses. She describes the coursework as "neat."
She was on the chapter's poultry team as a freshman. She also was a member of the general livestock team that went to state her sophomore year. She also participated in public speaking, earning a trip to regions. In her junior year, she participated in farm management and parliamentary procedure. She was high individual in farm management at regions.
In her beef SAE, Hoseth has experienced the highs and lows of livestock ownerships. The lows are when animals die or get sick, she said. The encouraging things — the twins her cows have or the grand champion ribbons — are definite high points.
She certainly counts her Star Farmer degree among the highlights. Erickson knew about Hoseth's award two weeks before the Minnesota FFA convention last month.
"He said it was the hardest secret he's ever had to keep," she said.
Through it all she's gained great respect for farmers, she said. .
"It's so much work and they aren't always rewarded for it, like they should be," Hoseth said.
Receiving FFA's Star Farmer honor was a surprise, she said.
Hoseth will keep the animals when she attends North Dakota State University in the fall. She will major in nursing with plans to become a family nurse practitioner.
She plans to apply for her American Degree next year.