Rinkenberger picked as top ag instructor

“Just call me Rink,” said Blooming Prairie High School vocational agriculture instructor William Rinkenberger as he introduced himself to his new crop of eighth grade students.

His name sounds more German than Norwegian, but Rinkenberger, 50, loves to answer to the four-letter nickname. He also responds to “Bill” and tells people, “You can call me anything, just don’t call me late for dinner.”

Rinkenberger said his students are skeptical of using the nickname but are comfortable after seeing that Rink is comfortable with others addressing him by his nickname.

Rinkenberger is a native of Fosston, located in the northwestern part of the state, between Grand Forks and Bemidji. He landed his first teaching job 19 years ago in Blooming Prairie, as a vocational agriculture teacher.

Learning just recently that he was nominated for a major state award, Rinkenberger said that he hopes to stay in Blooming Prairie during his entire teaching career.

His peers nominated him for the top vocational agriculture teaching award, which will be presented in mid-April. Five teachers are vying for the honor bestowed by the Minnesota Association of Agriculture Educators (MAAE).

The nominated teachers must work in an established program. Candidates must also complete a detailed application form. The winner then advances to the national regional level, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.

Rinkenberger was born and raised on a family farm in Fosston. He is a 1991 graduate of Fosston High School.

From 1991-93, Rinkenberger earned a two-year dairy science degree, pursuing an agriculture education degree at the University of Minnesota-Crookston.

He worked for a year and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from 1993-96. His interest in agriculture advanced as he worked on a few dairy farms. Rinkenberger was an assistant herd manager for a 2,000-head dairy herd in South Dakota.

The 10-plus-hour days did a number on Rinkenberger, and his back and hips began to hurt.

Rinkenberger worked for Mike and Linda Hansen on an Ayreshire farm at Goodridge, east of Thief River Falls, from 1996-97. From 1997 to 2001, Rink worked at a 5-Star dairy in Milnor, ND. He then logged two years at the University of Minnesota at Crookston.

His mother was then doctoring for tuberculosis at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Driving to Rochester for his mother, Rinkenbeerger fell in love with Highway 52.

“That’s where I wanted to be,” he said.

Rinkenberger applied for a teaching position in Blooming Prairie in 2003. Former superintendent Barry Olson hired him as a vo-ag instructor.

“To me, Blooming Prairie was a carbon copy of Fosston,” Rinkenberger said. “Blooming Prairie was the home to a lot of kind and sweet Norwegians.”

“I moved to the tropical part of the state,” he added.

Rinkenberger said Fosston always claimed to be the lutefisk capital of the world.

“I was the only one of my family of five who did not like lutefisk,” he said.

When Rinkenberger joined the BP teaching staff, only 12 kids had enrolled in the Future Farmers of America (FFA). The chapter has grown to 65.

The vo-ag department now has a second instructor, Abby DeDina. The Illinois native went to school for vo-ag at River Falls, Wis.

The BP ag department has grown rapidly because of the kids and how they are involved in leadership, Rinkenberger said.

“A lot of the kids join because of their parents or because of friends’ encouragement,” he added.

The agriculture department faces extensive remodeling approved by a school district bond issue. The classroom and two shops will be remodeled. Rink has been involved in countless planning meetings.

Rinkenberger said his biggest thrill is watching the ag students mature in front of him in his front row seat.

“I want the kids to be successful,” he said.

Rinkenberger said current senior Clare Renne will be attending South Dakota State University, studying vocational agriculture.

Rinkenberger said Blooming Prairie students are energetic, willing to learn and respectful.

“By the time they are seniors, they are mature,” he shared.

Farm Safety Day is a project the kids love, according to Rinkenberger.

“The kids become the teachers, and I just fry the burgers,” he chuckled.

“I am a firm believer in teaching respect. If you respect me, I will respect you. I have no rules in the classroom, just expectations. Be on time. Be prepared. A para once told me that when she sees a student leaving the vo-ag classroom, that student is always smiling,” he said.

Rinkenberger calls himself “big hearted” and said he always tries to be sure he knows what kids are interested in.

When not in the vo-ag classroom, he likes to spend time with family and friends. Camping is a love of his, he said. He has a family of the north, a family in BP and a family in the Twin Cities.  “I also like Friday Night Lights (football),” Rinkenberger said. He is a big follower of the Minnesota Vikings.

Rinkenberger also likes to travel and now has a home to return to. He purchased a home just a block away from the high school.

He has been involved in First Lutheran Church of BP, serving as a trustee and on church council.

Since 2013, Rink has worked on a farm owned by Mike and Julie Mussman of Claremont.

“This is my therapy,” he said.