FFA and agriculture has always played a role in Benjamin Niendick’s life. So when he became involved in FFA, the only question on the Wellington, Mo., resident’s mind was what his supervised agricultural experience would be.
After discussions with his family, Niendick came up with the idea of wheat straw. Niendick could bale the straw and sell it to local farm and home stores as well as individuals.
Today, this entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in Niendick being named a 2015 finalist for the American Star in Agribusiness award, one of the most prestigious honors awarded to a student by the National FFA Organization.
Niendick’s business first began with himself, his dad and a classmate baling and delivering the straw. Soon, he had to expand his number of employees as his business began to grow. His customer base soon grew from 1 to 15, and from 2008-2014 his average production was more than 17,000 bales. In addition to supplying local farm and home stores, in 2013, he contracted with pipeline companies to supply to them as well. He was delivered straw from Quincy, Ill., to Tulsa, Okla.
Niendick made sure that when he began his business he developed a relationship with his custumers by meeting their demands in terms of quality, quantity and price. Since he began his program, he has sold his entire inventory before the produce is ready to be baled and stored. He is also constantly looking for new customers.
Currently he is studying agricultural systems management at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He says his vision for his career as an agriculturalist is found, in part, in the FFA Creed, as he desires “to work efficiently and think clearly.”
Each year at the National FFA Convention & Expo, four FFA members are honored with an American Star Award for outstanding accomplishments in FFA and agricultural education.
The American Star Awards, including the American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience, are awarded to FFA members who demonstrate outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through completion of a supervised agricultural experience program. A required activity in FFA, an SAE allows students to learn by doing by either owning and operating an agricultural business, working or serving an internship at an agriculture-based business or conducting an agriculture-based scientific experiment and reporting results.
Other requirements to achieve the award include demonstrating top management skills; completing key agricultural education, scholastic and leadership requirements; and earning an American FFA Degree, the organization’s highest level of student accomplishment.
Sixteen American Star Award finalists from throughout the U.S. are nominated by a panel of judges to interview during the national convention and expo. Four are named winners and receive cash awards totaling $4,000. All American Star finalists receive a $2,000 cash award. The American Star Awards are sponsored by ADM Crop Risk Services, Case IH, Elanco, Farm Credit and Syngenta as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.
Niendick is the son of Neal and Linda Niendick. He is a member of the Wellington-Napoleon Chapter, led by advisor Devin Garland.
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