Krueger Star in Agribusiness Finalist, Wins Wisconsin FFA Star Farmer

McKinley Krueger of the Campbellsport FFA is a Wisconsin Star in Agribusiness Finalist. This award area is sponsored by Compeer Financial.
McKinley manages both the livestock and business operations for her family’s farm. McKinley oversees herd health, breeding selections, and financial decisions to improve efficiency and profitability for both their beef and swine herds. McKinley has developed organized record keeping systems to track farrowing, calving, feed costs, and expenses which allows her to make informed management decisions.
In recent years, McKinley has expanded the marketing strategies for the farm by utilizing social media to advertise, connect with buyers, and build relationships with repeat customers. This has led to increased sales for the farm. Beyond business management, McKinley hosts showmanship clinics and provides one-on-one coaching for young exhibitors. Through her teaching about daily animal care, feeding programs, and show preparation, McKinley has been able to help others succeed in the show ring and strengthen her leadership, communication, and problem solving skills.
McKinley is also a Wisconsin Star Farmer finalist. This award is sponsored by Culvers.
McKinley is a fifth generation farmer, and her family has been in the swine industry for decades. McKinley purchased her own first gilt, a registered Hampshire, to produce county fair pigs and feeder pigs for local buyers in 2019. She now has seven quality crossbred and purebred sows. To gain additional skills and experience, McKinley shows for other producers at exhibitions such as state fairs.

Also in 2019, McKinley purchased a Solution Simmental heifer that she named Bella to start her beef herd. Her herd now includes sixteen cows from five breeds. McKinley selects top genetics to improve her cattle and this has allowed her to sell heifers to young exhibitors. She is in charge of the management of both the swine and beef herds, and she strives to grow as a livestock producer.
In the fall, McKinley will be attending Black Hawk College to pursue degrees in Animal Science and Agricultural Business. McKinley hopes to one day become a livestock nutritionist while running her own show pig and cattle operation. She also wants to use her passion to help the industry grow.
McKinley’s parents are Scott and the late Karlene Krueger. Her advisors are Jenna Schweitzer and Shawna Henke.
We would like to recognize other finalists as Wisconsin Star Farmer:
2nd Place: Callie Behling - Campbellsport FFA
3rd Place: Hannah Oleson - Adams-Friendship FFA
4th Place: Ashton Brusveen - Randolph Cambria-Friesland FFA
5th Place: Rylee Nelson - Waupaca FFA
About Wisconsin Association of FFA:
The Wisconsin Association of FFA is a leading student organization due to the efforts of 253 FFA Chapters across the state. With a focus on premier leadership, personal growth and career success, students’ FFA activities complement agricultural classroom instruction by giving them an opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge while gaining real-world experience. These activities are dependent on donor funding through the Wisconsin FFA Foundation. The FFA is also supported by the Wisconsin FFA Alumni Association. For more information about Wisconsin FFA, the Wisconsin FFA Foundation and the Wisconsin FFA Alumni visit https://wisconsinaged.org.