Former Decorah HS FFA member earns American FFA Degree

Posted: Sun, Nov 15, 2020 3:06 PM

Blake Courtney

Each year, less than one percent of FFA members receive the American FFA Degree, which is bestowed upon a select group of students in recognition of their years of academic and professional excellence.

Former Decorah High School FFA member Blake Courtney, who is now attending the University of Northern Iowa, is among the roughly 4,000 FFA members nationwide who received the American FFA Degree this year at the 93rd Virtual National FFA Convention & Expo.

Blake is the son of Scott and Amy Courtney. For his degree, he accurately kept records on his dairy cattle entrepreneurship which included the cattle he owned and showed at the local, state, and national levels. It also included various cattle he sold and marketed throughout the Midwest.

Courtney is the 21st member of the Decorah FFA who has earned this degree. Other Decorah FFA members who have earned this degree include Aaron Lovstuen, 1996-97; Sam Murray, 1997-98; Jacob Groth, 2000-01; Jeremy Peake, 2000-01; Ryan Holthaus, 2001-02; Kayla Hotvedt, 2003-04; Aric Yaw, 2003-04; Justin Holthaus, 2005-06; Mitch Hemesath, 2006-07; Gabriel Twedt, 2009-10; Dalton Frana, 2011-12; Danielle Fulsaas, 2012-13; Dustin Bigler, 2013-14; Andrew Luzum, 2013-14; Jordan Tietz, 2013-14; Aric Luzum, 2016; Isaac Luzum, 2016; Daiton Tietz, 2017; Hailey Nierling, 2019; and Ashley Schwartzhoff, 2019.