Indiana celebrates success after National FFA Convention

INDIANAPOLIS — FFA students and advisers from around Indiana celebrated a successful 2024 National FFA Convention.

By The Numbers

• 4,586 — FFA members from 209 chapters registered for the national convention.

• 124 — American FFA Degrees awarded.

• 13 — Agricultural Proficiency Awards finalists and one national winner.

• 9 — Agriscience Fair finalists and two national winners.

• 2 — National Leadership Development Events winners in Extemporaneous Public Speaking and Employment Skills categories.

• 1 — National Career Development Events runner-up in the Livestock Evaluation category.

• 1 — Fourth overall CDE team in Agricultural Communications.

CDEs & LDEs

Ninety-eight members competed in CDEs and LDEs. These events are designed to help a member prepare for a career in agriculture by testing and challenging the student’s technical, leadership, interpersonal and teamwork skills, as well as their knowledge of the subject matter.

Gold Emblem

• Agricultural Communications — Hamilton Southeastern FFA.

• Agricultural Technology & Mechanical Systems — DeKalb FFA team and individuals Cord Akey, Matthew Beckmann, Will Engelberth and Zach Harris, all of DeKalb FFA.

• Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Management — Maggie Wicker, of Rushville FFA.

• Employment Skills — Brock Hurley, of Rensselaer FFA.

• Extemporaneous Public Speaking — Jenna Lawler, of Rushville FFA.

• Farm & Agribusiness Management — Erica Sorg, of Heritage FFA.

• Floriculture — Southmont FFA team and individuals Cole Rhoads, Natalie Rhoads, Amarah Shannon and Kelsey Thompson, of Southmont FFA.

• Forestry — Clark Showalter, of Manchester FFA.

• Horse Evaluation — Rebekah Legan and Faryn Parr, both of Indian Creek FFA.

• Livestock Evaluation — Whitko FFA team and individuals Kohen Schipper, Anna Sickafoose and Carle Sroufe, of Whitko FFA.

• Veterinary Science — Logan Good and Lillianne Patterson, of Columbia City FFA.

Silver Emblem

• Agricultural Issues Forum — Shenandoah FFA.

• Agricultural Sales — Columbia City FFA team and individuals Carly Linnemeier, Kyle Porter and Karaline Schuman, all of Columbia City FFA.

• Agronomy — Rossville FFA team and individuals Colton Crum, Leif Eller, Natalee Richey and Madison Skiles, all of Rossville FFA.

• Conduct of Chapter Meetings — Indian Creek FFA.

• Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Management — Rushville FFA team and individual Cate Neuman, of Rushville FFA.

• Dairy Cattle Handlers Activity — Josie Kelsay, of Whiteland FFA.

• Environmental & Natural Resources — Kenna Alexander, of Churubusco FFA.

• Farm & Agribusiness Management — Heritage FFA team and individuals Arizona Brames and Maggie Minnich, both of Heritage FFA.

• Food Science & Technology — Tri-County FFA team and individuals Lyla Alberts, Gardenia Del Real and Evelyn Gretencord, all of Tri-County FFA.

• Forestry — Manchester FFA team and individual Thane Metzger, of Manchester FFA.

• Horse Evaluation — Indian Creek FFA team and individual Grace Runnebohm, of Indian Creek FFA.

• Livestock Evaluation — Lillie Sickafoose, of Whitko FFA.

• Marketing Plan — Westfield FFA.

• Meats Evaluation & Technology — Heritage FFA team and individuals Alden Bowers, Elizabeth Buuck, Brock Taylor and Alex Zelt, all of Heritage FFA.

• Milk Quality & Products — Whiteland FFA team and individuals Leorah Morris, Lillian Nick and Brody Polesel, all of Whiteland FFA.

• Nursery/Landscape — East Central FFA team and individuals Jasmin Keith, Evan Kramer, Riley Shumate and Wyatt Smith, all of East Central FFA.

• Parliamentary Procedure — Caston FFA.

• Poultry Evaluation — North Miami FFA team and individuals Ben Hoover, Jesus Santana and Alison Smith, all of North Miami FFA.

• Prepared Public Speaking — Kaitlyn Maruszewski, of Tri Central FFA.

• Veterinary Science — Columbia City FFA team and individuals Kaytlynn Bryant and Jessalyn Hoskins, both of Columbia City FFA.

Bronze Emblem

• Agricultural Sales — Caden Poling, of Columbia City FFA.

• Creed Speaking — Jack Kelsay, of Whiteland FFA.

• Dairy Cattle Evaluation & Management — Jocelyn Cain and Emma Tressler, both of Rushville FFA.

• Environmental & Natural Resources — Churubusco FFA team and individuals Merisa Bogard, Wyatt Overdeer and Samuel Troendly, all of Churubusco FFA.

• Farm & Agribusiness Management — Addison Werts, of Heritage FFA.

• Food Science & Technology — Kinley Dahlenburg, of Tri-County FFA.

• Forestry — Grace Hall and Layne Showalter, both of Manchester FFA.

• Horse Evaluation — Luke Zimmerman, of Indian Creek FFA.

• Milk Quality & Products — Garrett Rice of Whiteland FFA.

• Poultry Evaluation — Ryan Meredith, of North Miami FFA.

Agricultural Proficiency Awards

Cailey Elizabeth Markley, from the Argos FFA Chapter, was the Agricultural Proficiency Awards winner in Specialty Crop Production — Entrepreneurship/Placement.

Markley has been growing, harvesting and selling a variety of mums for five years. As a result of Markley’s marketing strategies, fertilization techniques and quality product choices, her crop has grown from 300 to 750 plugs planted per year.

Agriscience Fair

Logan Brand and C. Isaac Schweitzer, of the DeKalb FFA Chapter, won top honors in the National FFA Agriscience Fair in Animal Systems: Division 6.

Isaac Hefty, of the DeKalb FFA Chapter, was the winner in the National FFA Agriscience Fair in Plant Systems: Division 1.

Innovation Award

Indiana FFA staff received the Eastern Region Innovation Award from the National Association of Supervisors of Agricultural Education.

Indiana FFA’s Unified Horticulture CDE provides FFA members with intellectual disabilities the chance to participate in a tailored competitive event that builds valuable skills for life after high school.

In its inaugural contest in 2024, 15 members competed. They learned to identify flowers, fruits and vegetables and completed real-world tasks like filling online grocery orders.

The contest fosters inclusivity by pairing participants with fellow FFA members for support. This event not only helps competitors gain job-ready skills, but also promotes a sense of belonging within FFA.

The success of this CDE has inspired Indiana FFA to develop more unified contests to further engage all members.