INDIANAPOLIS – The National FFA Organization has announced the 16 finalists for its 2023 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience.

The American Star Awards represent the best of the best among thousands of American FFA Degree recipients. The award recognizes FFA members who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies by completing a supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program. A required activity in FFA, an SAE allows members to learn by doing. Members can own and operate an agricultural business, intern at an agricultural business, or conduct an agriculture-based scientific experiment and report the results.

Other requirements to achieve the award include demonstrating top management skills; completing key agricultural education, scholastic and leadership requirements; and earning an American FFA Degree, the organization’s highest level of student accomplishment.

A panel of judges will interview the finalists and select one winner from each award category for the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis this fall. The four winners will be announced during the convention.

Cargill, Case IH, Elanco Animal Health and Syngenta sponsor the American FFA Degree recognition program.

The finalists include: 

American Star Farmer

Tanner Mickey from the Taylorville FFA Chapter in Illinois

Daniel Jossund from the Ada-Borup-West FFA Chapter in Minnesota

Luke Jennings from Felicity-Franklin FFA Chapter in Ohio

Callie Welty from the Grandview FFA Chapter in Texas

American Star in Agribusiness

Paxton Boldry from the McCracken County FFA Chapter in Kentucky

Lainey Hutchison from the Crockett County FFA Chapter in Tennessee

Weston Whiteside from the Sam Rayburn-Ivanhoe FFA Chapter in Texas

Joseph Pulver from the Randolph-Cambria-Friesland FFA Chapter in Wisconsin

American Star in Agricultural Placement

Lance Moritz from the Streator FFA Chapter in Illinois

Riley Berger from the Ridgewood FFA Chapter in Ohio

Whitney Glazier from the Omega FFA Chapter in Oklahoma

Jaxson Collier from the Snyder FFA Chapter in Texas

American Star in Agriscience

Jasmyn Hoeger from the Beckman Catholic FFA Chapter in Iowa

George Frees from the Cass Career Center FFA Chapter in Missouri

Audrey Pinter from the Felicity-Franklin FFA Chapter in Ohio

Hadley Stiefvater from the McCook Central FFA Chapter in South Dakota

Visit FFA.org/Stars for more information about the American Star Awards. 

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of 8,995 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.