Kyle Appel to vie for national FFA honor

Kyle Appel, a member of the 2018 Colfax High School class, departed early Sunday morning for Indianapolis, Ind., where he will be among four finalists to compete for the national ag proficiency award. Appel, son of Eric and Shannon Appel, topped the state competition earlier this year and was notified this summer that he was one of the four qualifiers for the national event.

Colfax FFA advisor Michael Heitstuman and three members of the Colfax FFA chapter also planned to catch the plane to the nationals. Chapter members making the trip are Cotton Booker, Cole Baerlocher and Cassidi Shindler.

They are attending just to experience the national event, Heitstuman said.

Appel said each of the four finalists will sit before a panel of judges to answer questions about their reports which document supervised ag experiences over four years in high school.

Appel’s report charted his progression over four years of work in the family farm in the Dusty area. It documents his progression into more responsible farm duties as he advanced from freshman to senior during his high school years.

His report covers approximately 30 pages.

Appel said for the national competition he will be required to sit down before a panel of judges, and be questioned about his report.

“They will have a copy of my report, and I will have a copy,” he noted. The national winner is expected to be named Friday. Appel and Heitstuman will be introduced along with other finalists to the FFA assembly, and the winner will be announced.

Appel, who was valedictorian of the 2018 class at Colfax, is now majoring in mechanical engineering at Washington State University with minors in ag systems and crop science.