Missouri Ruralist logo

FFA stars shine bright at state convention

Here is a look at 2024’s Missouri Star Farmer, Agribusiness, Ag Placement and Agriscience winners.

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist

April 29, 2024

6 Slides

Four Missouri FFA members took home top honors at the 96th Missouri FFA Convention because they took the FFA motto to heart — "learning to do; doing to learn; earning to live; living to serve.”

The Missouri FFA Association named its Star Farmer, Star in Agribusiness, Star in Agricultural Placement and Star in Agriscience during its fifth session April 19. Awards were based on members' Supervised Agricultural Experience programs, along with their leadership and participation in their FFA chapter, school and community.

This year’s winners run the gamut of dairy, horses, cattle and prevention of E. coli in swine herds.

They include:

State Star Farmer. Cade Claycomb, Trenton FFA

State Star in Agribusiness. Crayton Schwieter, South Shelby FFA

Star in Agricultural Placement. Payton Rodgers, Savannah FFA

Star in Agriscience. Abigail Kay Burns, Gallatin FFA

Click through the photo gallery to read more about these Missouri FFA stars, courtesy of the Missouri FFA State Convention Media Corps.

Read more about:

FFA

About the Author(s)

Mindy Ward

Editor, Missouri Ruralist

Mindy resides on a small farm just outside of Holstein, Mo, about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis.

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism, she worked briefly at a public relations firm in Kansas City. Her husband’s career led the couple north to Minnesota.

There, she reported on large-scale production of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and dairy, as well as, biofuels for The Land. After 10 years, the couple returned to Missouri and she began covering agriculture in the Show-Me State.

“In all my 15 years of writing about agriculture, I have found some of the most progressive thinkers are farmers,” she says. “They are constantly searching for ways to do more with less, improve their land and leave their legacy to the next generation.”

Mindy and her husband, Stacy, together with their daughters, Elisa and Cassidy, operate Showtime Farms in southern Warren County. The family spends a great deal of time caring for and showing Dorset, Oxford and crossbred sheep.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like