News

Ellsworth Community College is proud to announce the outstanding achievements of its students at the Iowa PAS (Professional Agricultural Students) Conference held at Honey Creek Lodge in Moravia last week. Many of the students demonstrated exceptional skills and dedication, earning qualifications for the National PAS Conference to be held next month in Springfield, Illinois.

Individual standout performances included Ryanne Dunn and Kiley Langley securing 2nd place in Ag Sales and Animal Health – Vet Tech, respectively, both advancing to the National PAS level. Nora Ryan claimed 1st place in Career Planning – Power, Structural and Technical Systems, while Stellen Willis topped the Career Progress – Power, Structural and Technical Systems category, both advancing to the national competition. Additionally, Carson Sitzmann and Cooper Andersen impressed in Employment Interview – Agronomic Production, both securing spots at the National PAS Conference.

In a remarkable achievement, Nora Ryan and Harley Baumler were elected to serve as State Vice-Presidents for the Iowa PAS State Officer Team for the 2024-25 term. Their leadership skills and commitment to agricultural education were recognized by their peers.

A special acknowledgment goes to EmiLee Novak for her role in creating the new contest area, Conservation and Natural Resources. Five teams participated in this inaugural contest, showcasing the success of this new addition. On top of that, Ellsworth’s team of Mikaylan Winters, Jordan Laden, and Lydia Oetker placed first in the contest with all three students placing top 3 individually.

Furthermore, Wanda Koehrsen, Student Support Specialist at ECC, was honored with the Iowa PAS Outstanding Service Award for her dedicated contributions over the past several years, providing invaluable support and assistance during PAS conferences.

Here is a breakdown of individual and team achievements:

Individual Events:

• Ag Education
  • Lizzy Findling – 7^th place
• Ag Sales
  • Ryanne Dunn – 2^nd place (advances to National PAS)
• Animal Health – Vet Tech
  • Kiley Langley – 2^nd place (advances to National PAS)
  • Hannah Case – 10^th place
  • Gabe Reimer – 11^th place
• Career Planning – Agribusiness Systems
  • Tate Tentinger – 2^nd place  (advances to National PAS)
• Career Planning – Power, Structural and Technical Systems
  • Nora Ryan – 1^st place (advances to National PAS)
• Career Progress – Agricultural Education Systems
  • Harley Baumler – 3^rd place (advances to National PAS)
• Career Progress – Power, Structural and Technical Systems
  • Stellen Willis– 1^st place (advances to National PAS)
• Employment Interview – Agribusiness Administration
  • Logan Dreckman  – 3^rd place (advances to National PAS)
  • Tate Tentinger – 6^th place
  • Anna Dirksen – 9^th place
  • Tegan Carson – 10^th place
• Employment Interview – Agronomic Production
  • Carson Sitzmann – 3^rd place (advances to National PAS)
  • Cooper Andersen – 4^th place (advances to National PAS)
• Precision Ag
  • David Van Dyke – 3^rd place (advances to National PAS)
  • Trey Heilman – 5^th place (advances to National PAS)
  • Kirby Stevens – 6^th place (advances to National PAS)
• Speakers for Ag – Impromptu
  • Nora Ryan – 5^th place

Team Events:

• College Bowl
  • Ellsworth Bowl #1 – 13^th place
  • Ellsworth Bowl #2 – 14^th place
  • Ellsworth Bowl #3 – 12^th place
• Conservation & Natural Resources
  • Ellsworth Conservation #1 – 1^st place team (advances to National PAS)
    • Jordan Laden – 1^st place individual
    • Mikaylan Winters – 2^nd place individual
    • Lydia Oetker- 3^rd place individual
  • Farm Business Management
    • Ellsworth Farm Bus #1 – 3^rd place (advances to National PAS)
      • Ryanne Dunn – 7^th place individual
      • Tate Tentinger – 8^th place individual
      • Anna Dirksen – 9^th place individual
    • Ellsworth Farm Bus #2 – 4^th place (advances to National PAS)
      • Tegan Carson – 10^th place individual
      • Logan Dreckman – 11^th place individual
      • Cooper Andersen – 12^th place individual
    • Ellsworth Farm Bus #3 – 2^nd place (advances to National PAS)
      • Carson Sitzmann – 4^th place individual
      • Trey Heilman – 5^th place individual
      • Kirby Stevens – 6^th place individual
    • Floriculture and Greenhouse Specialist
      • Ellsworth Floriculture #1 – 5^th place team (advances to National PAS)
        • Nora Ryan – 6^th place individual
        • Elizabeth Findling – 8^th place individual
      • Ellsworth Floriculture #2 – 4^th place team (advances to National PAS)
        • Gabriel Reimer – 7^th place individual
      • Sheep and Goat Specialist
        • Ellsworth Sheep/Goat #1 – 3^rd place (advances to National PAS)
          • Kiley Langley – 7^th place individual
          • Hannah Case – 8^th place individual
          • Harley Baumler – 10^th place individual
        • Turfgrass Management Specialist
          • Ellsworth Turfgrass #1 – 2^nd place (advances to National PAS)
            • Stellen Willis – 3^rd place individual
            • David Van Dyke – 4^th place individual

Ellsworth Community College congratulates all the participants for their hard work, dedication, and exceptional performance at the Iowa PAS Conference. The college community looks forward to cheering them on at the National PAS Conference next month.

For more information, please contact Kevin Butt at Kevin.Butt@iavalley.edu or call 641-648-8660.