Member Profile: Troy Clemenson, Vice President

Tell us about your farm and family. I live on our family’s dairy farm just outside of Zumbrota. We are currently milking around 80 cows. My dad’s name is Brian Clemenson; he was in FFA when he was younger and continues to support our FFA experiences. My mom is Tiffany Clemenson, and even though she was never in FFA herself, she is very supportive of our FFA experiences. My sister is Natalie Clemenson, and she was the Minnesota state FFA reporter last year. My brother is Grant Clemenson, and he is just starting his first year in FFA.

Why did you join FFA? I joined FFA because I saw how much fun it was when my sister was in it. My dad, grandpa, aunt and uncle were all in it as well. FFA is my favorite thing that I am a part of now that I’m in it.

What is your role in the chapter? I am our chapter vice president, and I try to help out as much as I can. For example, I am on multiple committees such as fruit sales, banquet, corn drive, FFA week and many others. I also coach the dairy evaluation team and the meats team.

What FFA contests do you compete in? I have competed in dairy evaluation, nursery and landscape and meats evaluation Career Development Events. I actually got the opportunity to compete at nationals for the dairy evaluation CDE, where the team placed ninth and I received a silver ranking individually. I have also competed in best informed greenhand and parliamentary procedure Leadership Development Events.

What do you look forward to most in the upcoming FFA year? I look forward to the state convention because it is always fun to compete at a state level and see friends from other schools I don’t get to see every day.

How has FFA shaped you as a person? FFA has taught me the importance of being professional. I have also met a lot of friends in FFA. They are some of my best friends that I would’ve never met if it weren’t for FFA. It also taught me to get out of my comfort zone, which has helped me make those friends as well as try new contests I probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

What are your duties on the farm? I am in charge of our heifers and dry cows, such as feeding, watching for heat and making sure they stay healthy. My mom, brother and sister take care of the calves. My dad does the milking along with my grandpa. My favorite part of farming is doing fieldwork because I love driving tractors. I have used almost every piece of machinery on our farm.

What are your future plans? I plan on taking over my family’s dairy farm in the future. I also have started my own beef herd and plan on having that along with the dairy herd.