FFA Member Profile: Keaton Achenbach

Tell us about your farm and family. My family’s farm is Hy-View Achenbach Farms. It is owned and operated by my close family. My grandpa owns it, my dad does most of the daily work to keep it up and my cousin does calf chores for the newborn calves. We also have more employees who work with the milking cows. This year, we hosted the Crawford County Farm Breakfast.

Why did you join FFA? I joined FFA because my brother and older cousins joined FFA. I then started doing more around FFA, like showing dairy cattle. I then started showing dairy beef steers and soil judging, which got me more interested in the FFA activities.

What is your role in the chapter? My role as an FFA member is to participate in activities with the chapter, help with fundraising and dedicate time to some activities.

What FFA contests do you compete in? I compete in two contests: dairy judging and soil judging. I like dairy judging better, and I am far better at it than soil judging.

What do you look forward to most in the upcoming FFA year? I look forward to going to the Platteville dairy judging contest the most, because it is always a fun and exciting experience to see how farms are run by the college students, as well as the different levels of dairy.

How has FFA shaped you as a person? FFA has shaped me into the humble, outgoing individual I would not have been able to recognize a few years ago. Just a couple of years ago, I was always doing something, like getting into someone’s way and not being a humble kid.

What are your duties on the farm? I help out whenever help is needed. Typically, that means going out and helping my dad finish chores or making it a quicker day for him whenever I am available.

What are your future plans? My future plans are to go to college and get some kind of degree in agriculture. Otherwise, I plan on going somewhere like Astec Industries, a manufacturing company, and getting into the welding business.