Primghar, Iowa — A northwest Iowa teen has been recognized with a National Proficiency Award at the recent National F-F-A Convention in Louisville, Kentucky in a field that doesn’t have a lot of women.
Kellie Einck, from Primghar received the award in the Agricultural Mechanics and Repair and Maintenance category for her work at the local John Deere dealership. Einck is a student at South O’Brien and says the award honors students for their supervised agricultural experience, and is one of the highest honors given.
Einck says she didn’t grow up on a farm, but always enjoyed diesel trucks, and working on those trucks. She completed a diesel mechanics course through Northwest Iowa Community College and says F-F-A allowed her to follow her passion into a career when an opening became available at John Deere farm equipment dealer ICON Ag and Turf in Paullina.
Einck has been working as a farm equipment mechanic for a year-and-a-half. She says on occasion she will get some strange looks from farmers when they first realize it is a young woman working on their tractor, combine, or other farm equipment. She says the reactions are mixed.
Women make up more than 45 percent of the total national F-F-A membership. Just to give you an idea of how young women have made a difference in the agricultural organization, of the six selected national officer positions, this year’s national officer team consists of five women, including the new National F-F-A president.
Story from Radio Iowa
