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FFA Star winner finds success in marketing

This year’s Michigan FFA Star Placement Award winner says adapting to lost markets has been a significant learning experience.

Coopersville FFA’s Madelyn Rustler tells Brownfield she’s been working on her family’s fourth-generation hay farm for several years, but her role changed after the local dairy farm it was supporting closed.

“We had to drastically change our market, and we went to all dry small square bales to the equation market,” she explains. “Then I had to kind of shift my position on the farm, and I moved into the more sales category.”

Rustler says creating and managing the business’ social media marketing has inspired her to pursue a degree in agribusiness.

“The more I was in FFA, and the more I started working hand in hand with my dad on the farm, I realized that I really like what I do here,” she reflects. “I really like the sales aspect of my job, meeting new people every day, and networking.”

Rustler is serving as her chapter’s President this year and says she has several other Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects, including poultry production and beef entrepreneurship.

An SAE is a structured experiential and work-based learning opportunity through the FFA.