American Star Awards

Klaassen’s SAE includes producing wheat, black-eyed peas, mungbeans, cotton, corn, and a beef cattle operation consisting of cow/calf, stocker, and show cattle programs. He farms 420 rented acres in a wheat-summer crop rotation, strategically choosing legumes like black-eyed peas and mungbeans to improve soil health, shorten the growing season, and provide winter pasture for his cattle. Klaassen has transitioned from relying on his parents’ advice to independently managing all production, marketing, and financial decisions, including securing specialty crop contracts with companies like Del Monte and international buyers.

“As I reflect on my career in agricultural education and FFA, I find myself being very appreciative of the character that I have developed, the skills I have learned, and the person that it has molded me to be,” said Klaassen. I will forever be in debt to this great program and all the people who have poured into me.”

Twenhafel owns and operates BT Lawn Care, providing weekly lawn care services for over 50 residential, commercial, and municipal clients. Since starting with just a push mower in 2018, he has grown the business by focusing on customer satisfaction, strategic marketing, and efficient route planning. As his client base expanded, Twenhafel took on employee management and refined his quoting and scheduling skills to maintain quality while improving profit margins. His biggest challenge has been managing weather-related schedule disruptions.

“I believe that BT Lawn Care would not have been as prosperous without FFA,” said Twenhafel. “The Turfgrass Management SAE provided me with structure and targets to reach. I am forever grateful for the foundation I have been able to expand in FFA, from the leadership experiences I have had at the chapter and state level in Illinois.”

Erbsen’s SAE includes working for four agricultural businesses, including his family’s 100-cow dairy, where he milks cows, cares for heifers and IVF-born calves and prepares show cattle for competition. He also works at Gunderson Dairy Farms, a 500-cow operation, where he does equipment maintenance, KPI monitoring for robotic milking, and ration adjustments to improve herd performance. At C&A Acres, Erbsen operates tillage equipment, helps with harvest, and performs machinery maintenance, while at Kimberley Ag he cleans and assembles planter parts and works with equipment from multiple major brands. Over time, his roles have grown to include management responsibilities, problem-solving, and decision-making across all parts of the business.

“Through my coursework, FFA and other activities, involvement on my family’s farm, and employment off the farm, the value of always putting my best foot forward and showing my best effort has paid off in many ways so far in my life,” said Erbsen.