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Ochsner produces fish, financesSutton student named National Agri-Entrepreneur by FFA Nebraska Levi Ochsner, 16, of Sutton, Neb., is one of 10 students from across the country who will receive a National Entrepreneurship Award and $1,000 during a ceremony at the 80th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 26. The award program recognizes young people who start or are planning to start businesses. Levi, the son of Jeff and Sheila Ochsner, owns and operates L & D Fisheries, an enterprise that produces and markets Donaldson Steelhead Trout. In 2005, Levi's family turned an old hog barn into a fish hatchery. By 2006, he was ready to manage his own crop. "In 2005, I began working in a local fish hatchery to learn as much as I could about raising fish," Ochsner said. "I am completely responsible for my own stock now, including the feeding, sorting and general management of the fish operation that I named L & D Fisheries. When the trout are large enough, I sell them to processors, and for lake and stream stocking for recreational fishing." Ochsner hopes to increase his business by working with a processor to sell smoked trout. He also hopes to begin stocking a small pond on his grandfather's farm and start a fee-fishing enterprise that allows families and their children to catch their own fish. "There is a high demand for a fresh, healthy, local trout product and I have made it my goal to meet that demand," said Ochsner. "Levi has developed many entrepreneurial skills in aquaculture management, including record keeping, advertising and customer relations," said Tom Hofmann, Ochsner's agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. "He has also developed skills such as organization, responsibility and time management which he will be able to apply to any career in the future." Ochsner, who is a sophomore at Sutton Public School, is an active member of his local FFA chapter. He is involved in numerous activities and serves on several committees. Ochsner received the Star Greenhand Award and a gold rating in the Nebraska Agri-Entrepreneurship program. He is a member of the student council, FCCLA and was named Student of the Month. In the future, Ochsner hopes to obtain a college education and be self-employed in aquaculture or livestock management. USDA Rural Development sponsors the National Agri-Entrepreneurship Award Program as a special project of the National FFA Foundation, Inc. The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 500,823 student members--all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture--as part of 7,358 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The National FFA Organization changed to its present name in 1988, in recognition of the growth and diversity of agriculture and agricultural education. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit www.ffa.org for more information. Date: 10/31/07
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