News: Neillsville FFA, Thoma Family – State Fair (1981)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Appleyard, Jensen, Kren, Urlaub, Hohenstein, Thoma, Olson, Carmichael

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/20/1981

Neillsville FFA, Thoma Family – State Fair (1981)

Several members of the Neillsville FFA are participating in the state fair this year, four of them showing dairy animals. Included in the group are David Appleyard, Gary Jensen, Rick Jensen, and Tom Kren. Also for the fair, Rick Jensen and Jeff Urlaub are working at the state fair milkhouse. They are assisting the Wisconsin Junior Dairyman’s association in the sampling and weighing of milk from show animals. Terry Hohenstein is Neillsville’s representative in the State FFA Chorus. He sang August 10 – 13 at various performances.

On August 12, the Gorden Thoma family was recognized as the outstanding farm family from the Neillsville area. The honor takes place at a Recognition Day. Slides of the Thoma farm and other farms were shown. Expected speakers include Lt. Governor Russ Olson, Alice in Dairyland and Carl Carmichael of the D.P.

Gordon and Gladys Thoma have five children, Greg, Gary, Gina, Gloria and Gail. They run a 314-acre dairy and hog operation in the Globe area. Gordy normally milks 38 Holstein cows and maintains 25 sows. The family belongs to the Globe Lutheran Church. All of the children have been active in 4-H work. Greg recently received the FFA State Farm Degree and was the FFA chapter president.