Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Coulthard, Greenfield, Gerhardt, Watton, Roehl, Strangfeld, Curtin
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 9/01/2021
Coulthard, Brady-Earns American FFA Degree (2021)
Coulthard Earns American FFA Degree
Neillsville native Brady Coulthard organized a project to put “Blessing Boxes” in strategic locations in Milwaukee to serve as 24/7 food pantries. The project helped him fulfill the requirements for the American FFA Degree.
By Valorie Brecht
It‘s been a nine-year journey, but Neillsville’s Brady Coulthard has achieved something that many FFA members only hope to achieve. Coulthard has earned the American FFA Degree, the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization.
“I’m excited for one Neillsville FFA chapter to have another recipient. It gives credit to the program. I’m proud of myself, my community and my FFA chapter,” said Coulthard.
One of the main requirements of the award is that recipients must have earned and productively invested $10,000 through a supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program in which they own their own business or hold a professional position as an employee. For Coulthard, that took the form of several experiences he had over his years in FFA.
Coulthard started in FFA in 2012 when he was in seventh grade. In 2013, he began working as a research farm office assistant for Genesis Midwest, a contract research facility outside of Neillsville that conducts, farm animal studies. He collected and organized data, prepared sample containers and heled with studies on chickens and cows. Coulthard worked there for two years.
One of Brady Coulthard’s first experiences in FFA was working as a research farm assistant (right) in eighth and ninth grade. From there, he had many more agriculture-related experiences in high school and beyond that culminated in him earning the American FFA Degree. Submitted photos.
In 2015, Coulthard participated in the National History Day program and wrote a paper about agricultural subsidies. This counted as an agricultural communications SAE. In 2016 through 2018, Coulthard completed a food production SAE by working at Kwik Trip in Neillsville. He prepared; food and offered samples to guests. He also ensured the food was fresh and checked the temperature of products.
Coulthard’s most recent SAE came in the form of a community service project he did while at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee. The college has a scholarship entitled the Gary and Sandra Greenfield Christian Leadership Scholarship. It is presented to a student who “has displayed exemplary Christian leadership, as demonstrated by the college’s first full-time president and his wife.”
A student has to research and pitch a community service project to the scholarship selection committee. If chosen, the student receives a $5,000 scholarship and $500 to complete the service project.
Coulthard decided to make “Blessing Boxes” for his project. Blessing Boxes are basically like the little free libraries one might see outside someone’s home except they are bigger and instead of being filled with books, they are filled with non-perishable food items. People are free to take items as they need and donate as they can. Coulthard established two of these little food pantries in food deserts in Milwaukee. A food desert is defined as any area that has no grocery store in a one-mile radius.
“In urban areas, a lot of low-income people get pushed into the suburbs because of gentrification. As the city develops, the cost of living gets higher – the cost of living becomes too high due to development so people can no longer afford to live there. So, they move to the suburbs,” said Coulthard. “And there are not a lot of grocery stores in the suburbs. So, people end up in food deserts… And there is generally less access to public transportation there. So, if they don’t have access to public transportation and they don’t have a car, it can be very hard to get food.”
Coulthard put the food pantries in strategic locations in Milwaukee, in low-income neighborhoods that don’t have a grocery store nearby, so the maximum number of people would benefit. One is at Risen Savior Lutheran Church and the other is at Redemption Lutheran Church.
“I got information from pastors in the community and targeted those places specifically,” he said.
Coulthard became passionate about fighting hunger attending the FFA Washington Leadership Conference in 2017. The conference trains leaders who are ready to go back home and make a difference in their local community.
“We packed meals there and it helped me understand the need in my own country,” said Coulthard. “Then when I moved to Milwaukee, I could see the signs [of hunger] everywhere. There are 47,000 children who are hungry in Milwaukee. I can’t fathom that – that there are so many in the community where I got school. I’ve never had to deal with food insecurity myself, but I know friends who have been food insecure. So, talking to them changes your perspective on what issues matter to you and how to best come to a solution.
Holding a food drive or having a food pantry is helpful, but it’s only so helpful when it’s only open every other week. One of the main issues is accessibility. So, I wanted to do something to make food more accessible.”
Coulthard had to plan for the project and create a budget. He presented his project to the scholarship committee in March 2020 and went through an interview process. After being approved, it was a long process to get the Blessing Boxes installed, but worth it, Coulthard said.
Coulthard talked to the church councils of each of the churches and got their approval to put the Blessing Boxes on site. He also created promotional materials for the churches, spoke to the congregations about the project, recruited volunteers, worked with his college’s theater department to build the boxes and worked with a task force on campus to keep the project going. The boxes were installed in May. Although Coulthard will be a senior in college this year, the project will continue after he graduates.
“I have a plan to keep people educated,” he said. “The Campus Ministry office is going to house the project and they have about 30 volunteers who are willing to help. We did two boxes at first as a test run. But there are other churches interested and we have the potential to make more as there is more scholarship money available.”
Coulthard received $500 from the scholarship committee for the project, and another $250 through a Thrivent grant. He used the money for initial food supply, materials to construct the boxes and volunteer appreciation.
The project worked out as a way for Coulthard to finish out the requirements for his American FFA Degree.
“I was always a ‘dream big’ person in FFA. I told myself I was going to go all out and become a national officer and earn the American FFA Degree. But then life happens, and other opportunities step in. After getting my State FFA Degree though, I thought I might be able to earn it.”
Coulthard talked to Neillsville FFA advisor Amy Gerhardt, and she helped him with the application to see how close he was to earning his American FFA Degree.
“I was really on the fence if I could do it, but I filled it out to see how close I was. I was just a couple hours or a couple dollars short. But I was like, ‘Well, I have until I’m 21 to figure this out.’ Then I got to thinking about the Blessing Box project, which is getting food into people’s hands, which is what agriculture is all about. And the $5,000 scholarship I got is taxable income that I directly invested into my education. Part of the requirements is you have to show that you’re properly investing what you earn. So, I showed that I properly invested the money I got, and that amount put me over the top. It was one of those things that almost didn’t happen but happened.”
Coulthard was studying abroad in Spain when he got a message from Gerhardt telling him he had earned the American FFA Degree. He felt accomplished.
“It gives me a sense of community pride and family pride,” he said.
The SAE requirement is not the only requirement for the American FFA Degree, though. Coulthard also had to complete 50 hours of community service. He went above and beyond that with 158 hours. His community service has included playing bingo with nursing home residents, helping with FFA alumni pancake breakfasts and helping with the Neillsville Public Library craft times for kids.
Coulthard also did a large book drive in 2017. At the Washington Leadership Conference, he was encouraged to come up with a “living to serve” plan that he would implement upon arriving home.
He put up collection boxes all around Neillsville to collect books and monetary donations to buy books for low-income children in Clark County and Milwaukee. Through the drive, he collected 2,400 books. He got to hand-deliver books to kids in Milwaukee.
Another component of earning the American FFA Degree is the awardee must “demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities.” Coulthard developed his leadership skills through serving as a FFA chapter officer three years of high school. He was reporter his sophomore year and vice-president his junior and senior years.
Coulthard also had to complete at least three years of agricultural education. He took several animal-related classes in high school, including animal science, small animal veterinary, aquaculture and “Plants, Animals and You.”
Additionally, he had to earn his Greenhand, Chapter and State FFA degrees in order to be eligible for the American FFA Degree, with each of those having their own list of requirements.
Coulthard was happy to have all his hard work pay off and become part of the one percent of FFA members that earn the American FFA Degree. He will be awarded the gold American FFA Degree key and certificate after being recognized at the National convention on Oct. 30.
“A huge part [of how I feel about earning the degree] is feeling proud of myself and all the work I’ve done since seventh grade. After everything I did over the years like going to conferences and being in FFA choir, it’s neat to see it coming full circle. I will wear my FFA jacket for the last time ever when I go to the convention to receive my degree. So, it will definitely be a little bittersweet.”
Coulthard’s receiving the award will continue a family legacy of being involved in FFA. His grandpa and Grandpa’s brothers were in FFA. His cousins Dakota Watton and Ryan Roehl earned the American FFA Degree. His sister Sierra Strangfeld and Cousin Chase Curtin earned the State FFA Degree.
Coulthard said FFA opens up a lot of opportunities for people, even if they’re not interested in farming.
“It’s a way of showing that FFA’s not just for farmers… I never lived on a farm and never owned livestock but was still able to do it.”
Coulthard is the son of Michael and Melissa Coulthard. He is in his final year of College. He is double majoring in politics and law, and Spanish. He has a minor in theology. After graduating, he plans to work for a U.S. Senate campaign. Later on, he hopes to go back for his master’s degree in Spanish or possibly in social justice/human rights. His eventual goal is to work in the non-profit sector.
