DODGE CENTER, Minn. — Timothy Moenning is following in his family's footsteps.
His grandfather, Arno Moenning, started a herd of Hampshire hogs in 1939 as a 4-H project. His father, Paul Moenning, continued the hog herd, but also began raising purebred Angus. They would sell Angus until 2006.
There are still hogs roaming the Moenning farm, but Timothy Moenning is focused on the farm's Holstein dairy steers.
As a senior at Triton High School, Moenning was recently named the Region 8 American Star Farmer by the Minnesota FFA organization.
Moenning doesn't farm to win awards, although he admits it's nice to be recognized.
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"It's a lot of hard work paid off," Moenning said. "That's for sure. It just goes to show that if you stick with something long enough, it definitely pays off in the end."
Soon, Moenning will have judges coming to inspect his herd, to determine if he is the top Star Farmer in Minnesota. Moenning will find out if he's won at the Minnesota FFA State Convention in late April.
Moenning joined the Triton FFA chapter his sophomore year after his cousins joined from Hayfield.
Working with his 42 Holsteins is where his passion exists. That is, when he's not competing with the trap shooting team at school or working on his Mustang and Chevy.
In the fall, Moenning plans to attend Northeast Iowa Community College for Beef Science Technology. Moenning said he's had many conversations with his older sister, Emilie, who also graduated with a degree in Beef Science Technology.
Moenning's post-college goals are simple: he wants his own farm.
"When I come back, I'd kind of like to take over the family farm," Moenning said. "If that's not in the books, then I wouldn't be opposed to starting my own farm. I'd probably like to do that just as well."
Moenning said he considers his father and grandfather, who died in 2016, his biggest influences, citing his father's help in bringing his herd to its highest total this past fall at 60.
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