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KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- Meet 17-year-old Katelyn Stauffer of Kirksville. Agriculture was something she got highly involved in later in life. She got involved with 4-H as a kid due to her dad’s family strong background in agriculture. She decided to take a break. Then Kirksville FFA called her name.

“They had stories on it all the time. I loved it. I wanted to have stories of my own. I wanted to be and Ag. I wanted to take Ag classes. I’ve slowly and surely go to where I am now,” Stauffer said.

Katelyn’s main Ag focus is wood. For the past three years she has done various wood projects and has shown them at the NEMO Fair and winning 1st Place. According to Katelyn putting wood together is not as easy as you think.

“I had to make sure everything was even and that it worked out just right. I had to go back and re-make it, re-sand it, all of that,” Stauffer said.

Katelyn owes her success in agriculture to the Kirksville FFA and considers them family.

“I have never met a stranger in my life before FFA. Now I love meeting new people. I love hearing their stories. FFA has helped me build that and my character. It’s who I am now,” Stauffer said.

Katelyn’s dream is to have a farm of her own someday and wants to continue working in agriculture to pass it down to her family.

“It teaches kids values. You have to see it to believe it. It keeps them grounded. It keeps them on their feel at all times. You never know what’s next,” Stauffer said.

Katelyn is the treasurer of the Kirksville FFA and when not working on wood, she keeps herself busy with the tennis and track teams at school.

She is planning to attend Northwest Missouri State University next fall to study physical therapy and specialize in pediatrics.

Congratulations Katelyn on being this week's Ag Kid.