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Below you can find out about this year's Homegrown Giving winner for this region. For previous winners, please visit our Past Winners Page.

2025 Winner: Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa FFA

Our 2025 ACH Seeds Homegrown Giving winner in the Southern Minnesota region is the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa FFA. The 150 members of this chapter support their community by teaching agriculture lessons to younger students, as well as hosting a “baby animal day” to give them a hands-on look at agriculture.

ACH Seeds’ $10,000 donation will help the FFA chapter expand their current safety and outreach activities, as well as offset travel for conferences that can spark career paths for rural youth. These new initiatives, funded by the Homegrown Giving award, build on the wider range of ways BBE FFA already supports its community.

Members regularly teach agriculture lessons to fourth and fifth graders, most recently focusing on the dairy industry and milk production. They also host a much-anticipated “baby animal day” for pre-K through fifth-grade students, bringing in animals to give kids a hands-on look at agriculture. Additionally, its test plot project allows local businesses and seed dealers to trial field corn varieties, with FFA members involved in every step from planting to harvesting and publishing results.

southern minn 2025 check presentation
ACH Seeds' Central Region Manager Jake Boersma presents the donation check to Karli Knopf, the BBE FFA advisor.
bbe ffa students standing by a corn field
The $10,000 grant from ACH Seeds’ Homegrown Giving program will allow the BBE FFA chapter to expand hands-on education initiatives and help more students attend state and national leadership events.
bbe ffa students examining corn
The funding will help the 150 BBE FFA members bring ag education beyond the classroom through farm safety demonstrations and outreach activities in the elementary school.
bbe ffa advisor and students
The test plot project allows local businesses and seed dealers to trial field corn varieties. FFA members are involved in every step from planting to harvesting and publishing results.
Homegrown Giving

Learn More About Our 2025 Winner

Our 2025 ACH Seeds Homegrown Giving winner in the Southern Minnesota region is the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa FFA.

Hear from the Winner

The students are the core of the community. Whether it’s covering trip costs or helping us bring farm safety or agricultural education programs to more kids, we now have a chance to reach and inspire more community members than ever before.

Karli Knopft BBE FFA Advisor

Eligible Counties

  • Minnesota - Big Stone, Brown, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Pope, Redwood, Renville, Sibley, Stearns, Stevens, Swift and Yellow Medicine