Wisconsin Ag Connection - Steinbach to Oversee Her Final Granton FFA Dairy Breakfast

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Steinbach to Oversee Her Final Granton FFA Dairy Breakfast
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 05/31/2016

This Sunday's Granton FFA Alumni Dairy Breakfast will not only be a salute to the state's dairy industry, but will also be a tribute of sorts to the program's advisor. Longtime agriculture teacher Cheryl Steinbach will be stepping down next month after three decades in the classroom due to health reasons.

Steinbach, who is also an alumnus of Granton High School in rural Clark County, began her teaching career in Gilman in 1986 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Two years later, she was hired to replace her own ag teacher, Francis Steiner, where together the two legends have led the school's agriculture department and FFA chapter for a combined 67 years.

"My time has come to pass this tremendous honor of leading this group on to someone else," Steinbach wrote in the Alumni chapter's spring newsletter. "You welcomed me into your hearts and gave me the chance to do what I thought was best for the kids. For that I will be forever grateful."

The Granton FFA and FFA Alumni programs have earned countless state and national awards over the years under her guidance, and received international media coverage when the school sent nearly every student to the National FFA Convention in 2011.

Cheryl has taught thousands of students during her tenure, including 162 recipients of the Wisconsin State FFA Degree, 72 recipients of the American FFA Degree, two state FFA officers and many other proficiency award, speaking contest, and career development event winners.

She has also been recognized with many prestigious honors for her work including a CESA Kohl Fellowship Award in 1999; the School Forest Award by the LEAF Program in 2011 and the Rotary's Paul Harris Fellowship Award in 2013. Mrs. Steinbach has also earned both the State and American Honorary FFA Degrees; was named Granton's Citizen of the Year with her husband, Tim; and was the first-ever recipient of the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce's Crystal Apple Award for excellence in education.

"Cheryl has been an invaluable asset to our FFA Alumni program. She has always kept our group well organized and headed in the right direction," said Breakfast Chairman Denny Jakobi. "Her dedication to our local FFA and FFA Alumni has been second to none. Although she will be missed, she's leaving the program in very capable hands."

This year's Granton dairy breakfast will take place June 5 from 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the John and Joan Martin Farm, just west of Chili. The menu will include pancakes, specialty eggs, sausage, cheese, ice cream, applesauce, milk, juice and coffee.

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