South Dakota State FFA Stars Recognized

The State FFA Degree, the highest degree conferred by the South Dakota FFA, was presented to 276 agricultural education students at the 2023 South Dakota FFA Convention.

The individuals that rise to the top as star finalists spend countless hours working on their projects and enhancing their potential for future jobs by gaining hands-on experience and developing technical skills. 

After a review of the students’ supervised agricultural experience program and records, four finalists were selected as the best of the best in each category prior to state convention.

The finalists interviewed in front of a panel and the most outstanding were selected to be the State Star Farmer, Star in Agribusiness, Star in Placement and Star in Agri-Science. Each State Star will receive a $400 cash award and the finalists each receive $100.

The results can be found below:

State Star Farmer – Landon Roling, McCook Central

State Star in Agribusiness – Ashley Bjerke, Sioux Valley 

State Star in Ag Placement– Ella Haven, Northwestern Area 

State Star in Agri-Science – Mason Pulse, McCook Central 

Finalists and winners in all 4 areas are as follows: 

Star Farmer finalists – Landon Roling, McCook Central; Morgan Mackaben, Belle Fourche; Teagan Mason, Doland; Zachary Jacobson, Howard.  

Star in Ag Business finalists – Ashley Bjerke, Sioux Valley; Rylee Terveen, Bridgewater-Emery; Aubree Kranz, McCook Central; Karsten Hamilton, Howard 

Star in Ag Placement finalists – Ella Haven, Northwestern Area, Ail Zacharias, West Central; Austin Schimke, Wessington Springs; Jackson Hofer, Beresford.

Star in Agri-Science finalists – Mason Pulse, McCook Central; Ethan Boekelheide, Northwestern Area; Shayne Luzmoori, West Central; Ali Zacharias, West Central.