Nagel continues family farming tradition her own way
“I don’t live on a farm but I have a great opportunity working at Achenbach’s Hy-View Dairy Farm,” Brooklynn Nagel said. “Some of my daily tasks are feeding calves, treating sick calves by giving antibiotics and giving them fresh bedding.”
Brooklynn Nagel, 16, is from Eastman and works at Achenbach’s Hy-View Dairy Farm. Since she was 3 years old, her life has revolved around agriculture.
Brooklyn Nagel joined the ring, showing both pigs and lambs at fairs and specialty livestock shows at a very young age.
By Abrielle Backhaus, Agri-View newspaper, www.agriview.com
Brooklynn Nagel, 16, from Eastman, is continuing generations of family farming in her own way.
“I don’t live on a farm, but I have a great opportunity working at Achenbach’s Hy-View Dairy Farm,” Nagel said. “Some of my daily tasks are feeding calves, treating sick calves by giving antibiotics and giving them fresh bedding. Also every year for the county fair I purchase a few pigs and lambs that I keep at my grandpa’s farm. I am responsible for caring for them and working with them to become a show animal.”
With a family rooted in the agriculture industry, Brooklyn, at the young age of 3, joined the ring, showing both pigs and lambs at fairs and specialty livestock shows. Her agricultural interest only progressed from there.
Nagel is involved in many organizations including 4-H. She’s been a Girl Scout for eight years, has been in the Hornet Club, FCCLA, a church youth group and the Wauzeka-Steuben FFA chapter. The young agriculturalist is always busy.
“I wanted to be engaged in the amazing opportunities FFA offers to students, also because my father and brothers were members,” Nagel said. “Since I have been an FFA member I have experienced incredible opportunities in leadership and personal growth. Being an FFA member has given me the opportunity to attend a lot of workshops, contests and conventions. I have met some awesome people and built some friendships that will last a lifetime. I love going to the National FFA Convention; there is so much you learn and do. This summer, I am looking forward to attending the Washington Leadership Conference held in Washington, D.C.”
If she isn’t preparing her hogs or sheep for show, participating in livestock-judging events or working at Achenbach’s Hy-View Dairy Farm learning about animal care for her FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience, Brooklyn is practicing her speech for an FFA career-development event.
“I started participating in the career-development events when I was in the eighth-grade and have continued every year since,” Nagel said. “I recited the FFA creed in eighth-grade; in ninth- and 10th-grade I did the prepared public speech. By participating in the contest it has given me the courage and built my confidence to get up in front of a group of people and speak.”
For Career Development Events, Nagel earned first place her ninth-grade year for speech, speaking on her life in the show ring. She won second place in her 10th-grade year for a speech about humane animal caretaking in the prepared public speaking contest. She placed third for reciting the FFA Creed in eighth-grade.
Nagel has received many awards throughout her FFA career, including her Explorer Degree, Discovery Degree and Greenhand Degree, but said her favorite award she earned was for Top Fruit Sales her ninth- and 10th-grade years. That award is her favorite, she said, because she loves selling, talking and helping raise money for her chapter.
FFA elections recently took place in Nagel’s chapter; she moved from the sentinel position to president. In the future she said she plans to become a state FFA officer.
Sister to two older brothers, Justin and Tyler, and daughter of livestock manager Jonathan and deputy clerk Becky Nagel, Brooklynn Nagel said she respects her family and always looks up to her parents.
“The people I admire the most are my parents,” Nagel said. “They work hard, put a roof over my head and give us the things my brothers and I need. They have taught us to always respect others, and always pursue your dreams.”
Both parents agreed Brooklynn’s outgoing and talkative nature make her a great leader and even better agriculturalist.
Nagel plans to attend Southwest Wisconsin Technical College for general-education courses, and then attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville for a degree in agriculture marketing.
“There are many ways to farm; you don’t have to own a farm to be a farmer,” Jonathan Nagel said.
