E-edition PLUS unlimited articles & videos
Personalized news alerts with our mobile app
*FREE access to newspapers.com archives
Hundreds of games, puzzles & comics online
*Refers to the latest 2 years of agupdate.com stories. Cancel anytime.
Becky Miller Splett and her husband, Nate Splett, also a state FFA officer, stand in front of a beautiful sugar-maple tree that was planted by her father 40 years ago in their yard. She says, ‘Dad always reminded me that the school children of Wisconsin picked the sugar maple as the state tree in 1949.’
Becky Miller Splett poses with her father, Raymond Miller. She says ‘I remember riding along with my dad on farm visits when I was little. He cultivated in me a love for caring for the land and especially a love of trees.’
Merle Richter, right, has his bicycle tuned up and ready to ride in the 11th-annual Ride to Farm bicycle ride May 31, 2014. He dedicated his ride to his mentor, retired Bloomer ag teacher and FFA adviser Ray Miller. Miller taught for 37 years in Bloomer, Wisconsin.
Becky Miller is the first girl elected – in 1972 – as a Wisconsin State FFA Officer, the same year she’s a finalist for Alice in Dairyland.
Ray Miller, left, and Jack Whirry are inducted in 1999 into the Wisconsin FFA Hall of Fame.
The plow signifies progress. The plow also signifies labor and tillage of the soil, along with a symbol of our country’s strength. The eagle symbolizes freedom. The eagle also is a symbol used to represent exploring new ways in FFA. The owl represents the knowledge necessary to be knowledgeable in agriculture.
My recent column “Ag teacher leaves long legacy” about the late Jack Whirry from Montello, Wisconsin, inspired a flurry of responses. It turns out he’s not the only legendary ag teacher in Wisconsin.
John Sumwalt
Raymond Miller
John Sumwalt is a retired pastor and the son of dairy farmers. He is the author of “Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives.” Email johnsumwalt@gmail.com or call 414-339-0676 to reach him.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The Rev. John Sumwalt’s true angel and vision stories are the stuff of everyday life – on the farm and in the city. He will be speaking at 9:3…
Becky Miller Splett and her husband, Nate Splett, also a state FFA officer, stand in front of a beautiful sugar-maple tree that was planted by her father 40 years ago in their yard. She says, ‘Dad always reminded me that the school children of Wisconsin picked the sugar maple as the state tree in 1949.’
Merle Richter, right, has his bicycle tuned up and ready to ride in the 11th-annual Ride to Farm bicycle ride May 31, 2014. He dedicated his ride to his mentor, retired Bloomer ag teacher and FFA adviser Ray Miller. Miller taught for 37 years in Bloomer, Wisconsin.
The plow signifies progress. The plow also signifies labor and tillage of the soil, along with a symbol of our country’s strength. The eagle symbolizes freedom. The eagle also is a symbol used to represent exploring new ways in FFA. The owl represents the knowledge necessary to be knowledgeable in agriculture.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
