Ag Day Honors Ag Community and Raises Money for Scholarships 

The Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce (MACC) announced the winners of the raffle held on Wednesday, March 18. The raffle was part of Ag Appreciation Day hosted by MACC that included the annual pancake breakfast, eight vendors, speakers, and ag-related demonstrations. The event was attended by over 100 people and honored area farmers and local agribusinesses. It also will provide funding for a yearly scholarship that is awarded to a student who plans to pursue a career in agriculture.

Ag Day Raffle Winners
Generac generator: Chris Berkner 
Four Tickets to 2026 Farley Fest: Travis Buttke
Valley Queen Basket: Noble Karels
Jumbo Rain Gauge: Tim Holtquist
Daphne Golf Head Covers and First Aid Kit: Mark Pillatzki
First Aid Kit and Insulated Can Cooler: Don VanVeen
Kibble Equipment Basket: Bob Wollschlager
Runnings Gift Card: Tim Stengel
Dakota Country Ag Service Basket: Irene McCulloch

Officers from the Millbank FFA Chapter served breakfast and sold raffle tickets. Their adviser Hannah Schrader and Miss Milbank Olivia Foell also attended. Several members of the MACC Ag Committee prepared the breakfast.

2026  MACC Ag Committee Members
Brian Trapp
Kerby Weets
Paul VanderWal
Melissa Mueller
Sara Colombe
Amy Sis
Elli Grabow-Fischer
Lance Junso

The Ag Day event coincided with MHS’s Drive Your Tractor to School Day, bringing several students in for breakfast before heading to class. “What a great opportunity to come together and celebrate our local ag community. We extend a big thank you to the MACC Ag Committee, the Milbank FFA Chapter, our sponsors, and the community for their time, resources, and support in making both this event and our ag scholarships possible,” said Jamie Henderson of MACC.

Henderson reminds all eligible students, “The Ag Scholarship application is available on the MACC website. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, March 31.”

Photos: Top Megan Wiese, Jamie Hankerson, Olivia Foell.
Second- Chris Berkner.
Third-Alexis Meyer, Bailey Schwagel, Cody Wiik, Kenzie Kooima.
Fourth- Lance Junso, Kerby Weets and Brian Trapp.
Bottom- Student heading to MHS