Four students from north Missouri schools, including one each from Trenton and Gallatin, were named State Stars at the 96th annual Missouri FFA Convention. Cade Claycomb of Spickard, who attends Trenton High School, was named the State Star Farmer. Abigail Burns of Gallatin won State Star in agri-science. Others include Payton Rodgers of Savannah as the State Star in placement and Crayton Schweiter of South Shelby High School as the State Star in agribusiness.
Claycomb and Burns also won state proficiency awards in different categories. Claycomb is the state winner in dairy production entrepreneurship. Burns is the state winner in agri-science research integrated systems proficiency. Two from the Newtown-Harris chapter also won FFA proficiency awards. Payton Miller won the award in fruit and nut production proficiency. Grant Thomas Oaks won an award in diversified agricultural production proficiency. Meghan Ann Edwards of St. Catherine, a Brookfield High School student, won a veterinary science proficiency award. Cole Judy of Hale, a Chillicothe senior, was a proficiency winner in agricultural sales entrepreneurship. Chillicothe had a team win first place in the Conduct of Chapter Meetings.
Jasmine Appledorn of Milan High School is the top speaker of the FFA creed. The Trenton FFA was recognized with a top chapter award ranking fourth in the state. Only ten percent of the 362 chapters receive a top chapter designation. Top chapters compete for the national FFA Chapter Award in Indianapolis.
Milo Simpson of the Trenton FFA placed second in the state for beef production placement proficiency. Among many other results from the FFA convention, the Milan C-2 school won first place in the FFA knowledge category. Jara Sanchez of Milan was the top-ranked individual. Gallatin had the first-place team in the state for the forestry career development contest. The highest-ranked team members were Abigail Burns (second) and Emma Christopher (fourth). Chillicothe took third place in the state for livestock judging. One member, Leanna Smith of Chillicothe, won first place as an individual judge. Chillicothe was fourth and Princeton seventh in ag sales. Trenton was seventh in the judging of meats.
In the ag issues forum, Milan was second and Chillicothe fourth. Nessa Montgomery of Brookfield placed second in state employment skills. Mikaela Rojas of Linn County and Grant Oaks of Newtown were second and third in advanced public speaking. Gracelyn Barnett of Chillicothe took second place in division two public speaking during the Missouri FFA Convention.
