Howard FFA Chapter Wins State Fair Farm Safety Quiz Bowl Championships

Howard FFA Chapter wins the South Dakota Farmers Union Farm Safety Quiz Championships today (August 30) during the South Dakota State Fair.

The members of the Howard FFA Farm Safety Quiz Bowl team received a cash prize and the 2025 Championship Title. Howard FFA Chapter team members are Mason Jacobson, Tom Connor, Lucas Feldhaus and Carson Hinker.

Other FFA Chapters competing were Redfield FFA team - Brooklyn Rische, Karlie Brabant, Layla Hardie and Addy Rice; Canton FFA team - Conley Winquist, Damion Myburgh, Bayler Lems and Salvador Lopez and Wessington Springs FFA team - Ella Kolousek, Chase Dunsmore, Rylan Fagerhaug and Logan Klein.

Farmers Union hosts the Farm Safety Quiz Bowl as a fun and engaging way for teens to learn about farm safety.

"It's important all youth understand how to stay safe on farms and ranches because agriculture is our state's No. 1 industry - and the work involved can be dangerous," explained Doug Sombke, President of South Dakota Farmers Union and a fourth-generation Brown County farmer.

Competing before a crowd of fairgoers, during the Farm Safety Quiz Bowl Championships, teens compete by answering a diverse set of questions designed to challenge all aspects of farm safety knowledge - from how to safely share the roads with farm equipment, to safe handling of ATVs (all-terrain vehicles), to implementing appropriate safety precautions when cleaning out a grain bin and how to stay safe when working livestock.

"The questions were really tough - I actually didn't know the answers to some of them, and I have lived on a farm all my life," said Ella Kolousek, the Wessington Springs FFA Chapter Reporter. "Learning about farm safety is a good idea because I can use the information to help me stay safe."

FFA Teams qualified for the championships in April during the 2025 South Dakota State FFA Convention held in Brookings.

"The Farm Safety Quiz Bowl allows FFA members to apply what they've learned through real-life experience on the farm. This hands-on learning style reinforces safety practices in an engaging and memorable way," said Charlene Weber, Howard High School Agriculture Education teacher and FFA Adviser. "As a teacher, I believe it's incredibly important for students to learn about farm safety in a fun and interactive way, like a quiz bowl, rather than just through textbooks or YouTube videos. When students are actively involved, they retain the information better and are more likely to use it in real-world situations, helping them stay safe while doing the work they love."

Canton freshman Bayler Lems agreed. "Competing really made me use my head. I live on a farm, and I know this summer thought more about farm safety because of this contest."

Farm safety education is a focus

The FFA Farm Safety Quiz Bowl is one of many ways the state's largest agriculture organization works to educate youth about farm safety.

Keeping farm safety top of mind is the goal of programming South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) develops for their annual summer camps held across the state and attended by more than 1,000 youth each summer.

Farmers Union also designed an interactive Farm Safety Trailer to bring the message of farm safety to schools, fairs and community 4-H and FFA events, explains Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director for South Dakota Farmers Union. "Kids learn best when they are having fun, like with the Quiz Bowl competition, and when they get to engage," Hofhenke said. "So, we made sure each safety lesson exhibited in this trailer engages youth in a hands-on activity."

Throughout the State Fair, thousands of youth engage with Farm Safety Trailer activities. For example, they can try on a safety harness while learning about grain bin safety; drive an ATV simulator to learn how to safely drive an ATV and through the 3-D model farm, they can learn about high-risk areas of the farm and how to be safe.

Since it hit the road in 2018, thousands of South Dakota youth have visited the Farm Safety Trailer.

To learn more about South Dakota Farmers Union youth programming visit www.sdfu.org.