Indianapolis(Friday, Oct. 31, 2025) –The National FFA Organization has announced the winners of its 2025 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience. Winners were announced on the stage of Lucas Oil Stadium during the sixth General Session of the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis on Friday, Oct. 31.

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 interviewed four finalists in each category and selected the winners.

2025 NATIONAL FFA STAR AWARD WINNERS

American Star Farmer, Ryder Klaasen, Hydro-Eakly FFA in Hydro, Oklahoma
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.”

American Star in Agribusiness, Blake Twenhafel, Wesclin FFA in Trenton, Illinois
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.”

American Star in Agricultural Placement, Nevin Erbsen, Eastland FFA in Lanark, 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.

American Star in Agriscience, Joanna Hamilton, Felicity-Franklin FFA in Felicity, Ohio
Hamilton’s SAE started with raising turkeys and overcoming challenges with heat lamps, leading to early agriscience projects in power systems and sparking a passion for food science through the Food Science Career Development Event (CDE). She completed five research projects about power systems, food science, and social systems, applying the scientific method to address agricultural issues and consumer preferences. Over time, she progressed from relying on mentors to independently designing experiments and consulting industry experts. Now she mentors younger members in research SAEs, demonstrating significant growth in both skills and leadership.

“FFA has pushed me out of my comfort zone, given me challenges to solve, and led me to my passion,” said Hamilton. “I am forever thankful for the lessons and memories.”

Bayer, Cargill, Case IH, John Deere, Rabobank and Syngenta sponsor the American Star Awards.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,042,245 student members as part of 9,207 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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About National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,042,245 student members as part of 9,407 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter.

About National FFA Foundation
The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations, and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders, and support the future of agricultural education. Governed by a 19-member board of trustees composed of educators, business leaders, individual donors and FFA Alumni, the foundation is a separately registered nonprofit organization. About 82 percent of every dollar received by the foundation supports FFA members and agricultural education opportunities. For more, visit FFA.org/Give.