South Dakota FFA Names ‘Family of the Year’

The South Dakota FFA Foundation has announced its 2023 "Family of the Year". It's an award that honors a family's long-term involvement in the South Dakota FFA/Agriculture Program and was presented at the state's annual FFA Convention in Brookings earlier this week.

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This year's "Family of the Year" is the Nagel Family from Gettysburg in Potter County.

The Nagel family includes Stella, the late Eugene
Nagel, their two daughters Dawn, and Gerri and her husband, Shon, Eide, and grandchildren
Hunter, Tanner, and Bobbi Eide.

The Nagels value learning and leading through the FFA experience, with four district officers, a state president, state vice president, and state secretary. Accomplishments include numerous state proficiency winners, a state job interview leadership event winner, a national proficiency winner, four State FFA Degree recipients, three American degree recipients, three National Officer candidates, two National Agriscience Fair finalists, two Honorary Chapter FFA Degrees, four Honorary State FFA Degrees, and one Honorary American FFA Degree. Membership continues with four Lifetime FFA Alumni members and three current FFA members.

As individuals in FFA and as a family, they continue to attend and support the local, state, and national FFA activities. Dawn shares, “Agriculture has always been an integral part of our family life. The FFA motto, learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live and living serve were brought to life for us through involvement in the FFA organization.  As a family, we believe in the future of Agriculture, our rural communities, and wholesome food and fiber production.  We strive to promote agriculture, learn through the hardships and persevere to make the future better for all agriculturalists.  FFA provided each of us a place to grow our passion for agriculture and develop lifelong friendships that have enabled us to share our knowledge while continuously learning from others.”

-FFA Press Release