2025-2026 Kalispell FFA Officers

Alexa Piseno - President

Matti Hartle - Vice President

Manny Barone - Secretary

Lance Fritz - Treasurer

Harli Hanson - Reporter

Brady Edgren - Sentinel

Rook Smith - Parliamentarian

About Kalispell FFA

"The Kalispell FFA chapter serves students from both Flathead High School and Glacier High School through the Agricultural Education Center in Kalispell, Montana. The chapter, formally established in the early 20th century, has grown into a vibrant program that combines classroom and laboratory instruction, hands-on supervised agricultural experience (SAE), and leadership through FFA."

Beyond the classroom, FFA Members are competing at the District, State, and National Level and winning top titles. For example, this October we have a two teams advancing to the National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis after taking home a first place title at the state level in Parliamentary Procedure and Livestock Evaluation.

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Here's what is happening inside the barn at the Ag Center this month!

Greenhand Degrees

Back in December, the Ag Center got to celebrate the accom;plishments of our first year FFA Members. These members were awarded their Greenhand Degree during the ceremony hosted before the December FFA chapter meeting. These students have worked hard to prove they are ready to take on their FFA Journey. Congrats to all of the recipients!

Farrowing SAE

What's a farm without sleepovers in the pig barn? In January we had two sows bring a few piglets into the world, totaling at 13 piglets. Mr. Hankison, Mrs. Knust, and Ms. Umland had a handful of help from students with these piglets, keeping them save and healthy!

Lambing SAE

At the tail end of January, we welcomed a few friends to the Ag Center farm. Lambing season is in full swing and it couldn't be done without the help of students. Mr. Darrach and Ms. Schelbert are teaching students the process of lambing and all that comes with it!

FFA Officer Spotlight

Alexa Piseno - President

I’m a senior at Glacier High School and serve as the Kalispell FFA Chapter President. I’ve been deeply involved in FFA since my freshman year, competing in a variety of CDEs and LDEs, including being a State Creed Speaker and a National Parliamentary Procedure competitor. I’ve had the opportunity to attend the Montana FFA State Convention three times and the National FFA Convention twice. I’m proud to represent the Kalispell FFA Chapter and love the chance to lead and support our members. My current SAE project is raising a market steer! Outside of FFA, I work as a farm hand and enjoy fishing, showing hogs and steers, and shooting trap.

Matti Hartle - Vice President

I’m a senior at Glacier High School and serve as the Kalispell FFA Chapter Vice President. I’ve been involved in FFA since my freshman year, competing in a variety of CDEs and LDEs including Meats Evaluation, Agronomy, Prepared Public Speaking, Horse Evaluation, and Parliamentary Procedure. I’ve had the opportunity to attend the Montana FFA State Convention twice and the National FFA Convention twice as well. Last year, I served as the 2024–2025 Chapter Reporter, and this year I’m competing on the National Parliamentary Procedure Team. FFA has given me the chance to grow as a leader and build lasting friendships with my fellow members. My current SAE is raising a market hog! Outside of FFA, I work at a law firm, show pigs, and am a member of Echoes at my school.

Manny Barone - Secretary

I’m a senior at Glacier High School and serve as the Kalispell FFA Chapter Secretary. I began my FFA journey as a freshman, competing in Livestock Evaluation, Creed Speaking, and Agricultural Sales. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to compete on multiple teams, including the 2025 National Western Roundup team in Denver, as well as at NILE, JDEA, and various district contests. I was also a member of the 2023 State Meats team. My Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) involves raising a market hog for the Northwest Montana Fair. Outside of FFA, I work as a diesel mechanic, farm hand, rodeo staff member, and manager for FVCTC.

Lance Fritz - Treasurer

I’m a junior at Glacier High School and serve as the Kalispell FFA Chapter Treasurer. In my role, I help manage and monitor our chapter’s expenses, investments, and income. I first joined FFA competing in Creed Speaking, Veterinary Science, Livestock Evaluation, and Parliamentary Procedure. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to compete in several LDEs and CDEs, and I’m proud to be a member of the 2025 Montana National Parliamentary Procedure Team. My Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) includes raising a market steer and maintaining my own cattle herd, separate from my family’s.

Harli Hanson - Reporter

I’m a junior at Flathead High School and serve as the Kalispell FFA Chapter Reporter. I first got involved in FFA as a freshman, competing in Livestock Evaluation, Creed Speaking, and Veterinary Science. Since then, I’ve participated in a variety of CDE and LDE events at both the district and state levels, and I’ve been part of the Vet Science state team for the past two years. My Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project focuses on raising and selling Quarter Horses. In my free time, I work as a veterinary assistant, rodeo, and enjoy hiking.

Brady Edgren - Sentinel

I’m a junior at Glacier High School and serve as the Kalispell FFA Chapter Sentinel. I first got involved in FFA as a freshman through the Mechanics CDE, then continued my sophomore year competing in both Mechanics and Forestry—earning the chance to compete at State for Forestry! My Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project is raising a market hog. In my free time, I enjoy working and spending time outdoors hunting, fly fishing, and shooting trap competitively.

Rook Smith - Parliamentarian

I’m a junior at Flathead High School and currently serve as the Kalispell FFA Parliamentarian. I really started getting involved in FFA during my sophomore year through parliamentary procedure and community service activities. This year, I’m honored to be competing at the National FFA Convention as part of our Parliamentary Procedure team! My Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project is raising a market hog. Outside of FFA, I love spending time outdoors with my family and friends.