Retiring Ohio FFA State President Anna Moeller catches up with Ohio Ag Net Student FFA Reporter Sydney Beiting, about her year of leadership and advice to others.… Continue reading
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Ohio Ag Net Student FFA Reporter Emily Lichtle interviews Versailles FFA members Paige Gehret and Colin Batten, winners of the Agricultural Communications and Dairy Production-Placement Proficiencies, respectively.… Continue reading
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Congratulations to the Ohio FFA Proficiency Award winners, announced at the 2025 Ohio FFA State Convention on May 1 in Session Two and Session Three.
Listed in alphabetical order by proficiency category. Click on an image to enlarge.
Keynote speaker Nicki Joiner was the keynote speaker at the first session of the 97th Ohio FFA Convention. Ohio Ag Net Student FFA Reporter Tara Kremer of the New Bremen FFA spoke with her after the speech and its message.… Continue reading
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Photo highlights from the 2025 Ohio FFA State Convention, courtesy of Ohio Ag Net Student FFA Reporters Sydney Beiting, Alexis White, Cole Bauman, Tara Kremer, and Emily Lichtle.
Click on an image to enlarge.
Session One of the 97th annual Ohio FFA Convention began with the outgoing 2024-2025 State FFA Officers recognizing teachers and administrators who impacted their lives. 15 chapters were recognized for donating over $1,000 to Ohio FFA, and other chapters were acknowledged for raising money for a charity of their choice. A total of $178,120 was raised for charities through the Ohio FFA. Senior members received a variety of FFA Foundation scholarships and recognition for their involvement in the Ohio FFA Works Program. Additionally, nine new chapters joined the over 300 FFAs across the state of Ohio.… Continue reading
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The following Ohio FFA members were announced as finalists to the 2025-2026 Ohio FFA State Officer ballot at the First Session of the State Convention. The officer team announcement and installation will take place during Fifth Session-B on Friday, May 2.
Slated for State President
Carter Boyd – Hillsboro Great Oaks FFA
Layna Gordon – Licking Valley FFA
Slated for State Vice President
Henry Hoisington – Bloom-Carroll FFA
Audrey Boeshart – Utica FFA
Slated for State Secretary
Abbey Garland – Talawanda-Butler Tech FFA
Melinda Wesley – Utica FFA
Slated for State Treasurer
Ryace Boyer – Warren FFA
Taylor Johnson – Evergreen FFA
Slated for State Reporter
Isabella Nardecchia – Wayne County Career Center FFA
Austin Manning – Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington FFA
Slated for State Sentinel
Melainy Boes – Upper Sandusky FFA
Paris Anderson – Big Walnut-DACC FFA… Continue reading
By Brianna Smith
The Ohio Star State FFA Degree Awards are among the highest honors an FFA member can earn at the state level, representing not just agricultural excellence, but a commitment to growth, service, and leadership. For one student to qualify is a feat. For three students from the same chapter? That’s history in the making.
At the 2025 Ohio FFA Convention, Archbold FFA will send three members to the stage as finalists in three separate Star State FFA Degree Award categories: Titus Rufenacht, Baylee Lumbrezer, and Aaron Miller. Each have completed impressive Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE), participated in leadership activities, and competed in Career Development Events (CDE). All three are recent graduates of Archbold High School and served in various leadership roles within the Archbold FFA.
Titus Rufenacht is a finalist for the Star Farmer award, as well as the beef entrepreneurship proficiency. His SAE includes feeding out cattle from calf to steer and managing his own corn and soybean acres.… Continue reading
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The 2025 Ohio FFA Convention is set to take place the first Thursday, May 1 and Friday, May 2. The event recognizes the best of the best in Ohio’s outstanding FFA membership. Ohio Ag Net will be their covering the event from the perspective of our student FFA reporters.
The following is the schedule, courtesy of the Ohio FFA Association. For a PDF version, click here.
The Ohio Ag Net is proud to welcome our talented team of 2025 Student FFA Reporters. Throughout the Ohio FFA State Convention, these students will work alongside our staff, developing their skills in agricultural communication through interviews, photography, social media, and more, bringing you the latest news and information.
Get to know this year’s team:
Sydney Beiting – East Clinton FFA
Sydney Beiting is excited to return for another year as a Student FFA Reporter. She is a senior at East Clinton High School and is also enrolled at Southern State Community College. In FFA, she has been active in parliamentary procedure, public speaking, agricultural communications, soil judging, and dairy judging, all while serving as Chapter President. Outside of FFA, Sydney participates in varsity volleyball, softball, academic team, student council, and National Honor Society.
At this year’s convention, Sydney looks forward to connecting with as many members as possible.… Continue reading
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By Morgan Anderson, OCJ FFA Reporter
Hard work, dedication, and a drive to learn led the Bloom-Carroll FFA Chapter to an unforgettable achievement. On Mar. 10, four chapter members competed in the State Agricultural Sales Career Development Event (CDE). To their surprise, they didn’t just perform well; they claimed the title of state champions.
“It’s a complete rush of emotions being named the state champions in the Agricultural Sales CDE,” said Reagan Bender. “It’s so exciting knowing all the hard work and hours you put into the competition paid off.”
Individually, the team placed as follows:
At the contest, 21 teams and 78 students competed. Only teams that won first or second in their respective districts advanced to the state competition, making it an elite event.
The Agricultural Sales Career Development Event (CDE) tests students’ sales and marketing skills through a hands-on competition.… Continue reading
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By Morgan Anderson, OCJ FFA Reporter
On Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Indianapolis, Ind., Landon Haney stood on stage at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo when he heard his name announced as the winner of the prestigious American Star in Agribusiness Award.
Selected from 16 national finalists, Haney was honored for his outstanding accomplishments in agricultural education and entrepreneurship — a journey that began with a simple mower and a big dream.
Haney’s business, Haney’s Mowing & Landscaping, LLC, offers a wide range of lawn care and landscaping services to both residential and commercial clients.
“We provide mowing, weed control, fertilization, landscape design, aeration, seeding, lawn repair, and even snow removal,” Haney said.
What began as a part-time gig at age 14 evolved into a thriving company, thanks to a mix of determination and community recognition.
“It started when I worked for a relative, maintaining a rental property’s landscaping.… Continue reading
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By Morgan Anderson, OCJ FFA Reporter
National FFA Week was an exciting time for FFA chapters across Ohio as they celebrated the association’s nearly 100-year history, which was established in 1929.
The week was celebrated from Feb.18-25. FFA Week is always celebrated around George Washington’s birthday, which is Feb. 22, and typically coincides with Presidents’ Day, which is observed on the third Monday in February. The week-long celebration usually falls from the Saturday to the following Saturday, including his birthday. This timing honors Washington’s legacy and his support for agriculture from America’s very beginning.
This year’s celebration was full of unique events, service projects and spirited competitions that brought together FFA members, students and community members alike.
“National FFA Week symbolized a week of excitement and engagement for Ohio FFA members, advisors and supporters!” said Jayden Hicks, Ohio FFA Vice President At-Large. “Throughout the week, we celebrated the impact of our organization and association by honoring the work of those who came before us and giving back to support future generations.”… Continue reading
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It’s National FFA Week — a time to share what FFA is and the impact the organization provides for members every day. One good opportunity to invest in Ohio FFA members and agricultural education is Give FFA Day on Feb. 20. Learn more at ohioffa.org/give-ffa-day or check out @OhioFFA on social media.
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The 2025 Ohio FFA State Convention is approaching on May 1-2, and Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net are seeking outstanding FFA members to serve as student reporters for this year’s event.
The Ohio Ag Net Student FFA Reporter experience is entering its 15th year!
Selected FFA members will have the unique opportunity to work alongside our professional news team to cover the convention. This experience will provide valuable insight into agricultural communication, allowing students to develop media skills, build connections, and contribute to real-world news coverage.
By Anna Moeller, 2024-2025 Ohio FFA State President
Beginnings and endings are hard, but the middle is what makes it all worthwhile. This is something my mom has permanently ingrained in my heart since I was a little girl, and I can’t help but reflect on its meaning as the year 2024 comes to a close. Especially because 2024 was such an impactful and memorable 365 days for all 29,494 Ohio FFA members.
Endless successes were celebrated at the 97th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis during the last week of October. For starters, we had Ohio FFA members, agricultural educators, state staff, and supporters participating in nearly 100 different competition areas, ranging from Agriscience Fair to Proficiency Finalists, Career Development Events, Star Chapters, and more.
Additionally, Ohio had 529 American Degree recipients this year, making Ohio FFA the second highest awarded state in the country for the most prestigious recognition National FFA can offer.… Continue reading
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By Morgan Anderson, OCJ FFA Reporter
The National FFA Convention & Expo, the largest annual event organized by the National FFA Organization, gathers FFA members, advisors, supporters, and industry leaders nationwide each fall. It celebrates members’ achievements through sessions, workshops, a career expo, and various leadership activities. The convention is also the national stage for competitions, where members demonstrate the skills and knowledge they’ve gained through FFA.
This year, Ohio had a strong presence at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo, which was held from Oct. 23 to 26 in Indianapolis.
Jennings elected to National FFA office
Luke Jennings of the Felicity-Franklin FFA Chapter was elected as the 2024-2025 National FFA Secretary. Jennings is the 36th National FFA Officer from Ohio, the highest total of any state.
Haney named American Star
Landon Haney of the Arcanum-MVCTC FFA Chapter was named the American Star in Agribusiness. FFA’s lessons and mentorship helped Haney establish his successful business, Haney’s Mowing and Landscaping, LLC, while still in high school.… Continue reading
By Morgan Anderson, OCJ FFA Reporter
Over the past year, I’ve traded my small-town roots in Amanda for convention arenas, boardrooms, and classrooms across the country. With nearly 70 flights, visits to 21 states, and over 100,000 miles logged, I served as the 2023-2024 National FFA Eastern Region Vice President, representing 1,027,273 FFA members at local, state, national, and international levels.
Serving others is core to FFA, embodied in our motto: “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.” This spirit is ingrained in the programming and culture of 9,235 FFA chapters across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It’s also the focus of our organization’s largest annual gathering: the National FFA Convention & Expo.
From Oct. 23-26, Indianapolis hosted over 70,000 attendees and guests for the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo. According to Visit Indy, the convention’s visitors, alongside our use of venues like the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Indiana State Fairgrounds, boosted Central Indiana’s economy by an estimated $40 million.… Continue reading
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This week’s podcast features Matt Reese talking with Anna Moeller, Ohio FFA President, Ryan Bowsher, State Vice President at Large, and Jayden Hicks, State Vice President At Large at last week’s National FFA Convention.
Featured audio includes: FFA Star Farmer Landon Haney, 20203-24 National FFA officer Morgan Anderson, newly elected 2024-25 national officer Luke Jennings, and Emma Hummer and Noah Cantor from the Erwin Chapter in hurricane devastated Tennessee. In addition, we have an update with Dale Minyo and science teacher Tom Dyer with GrowNextGen and the Ohio Soybean Council.… Continue reading
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Luke Jennings of the Felicity-Franklin FFA Chapter has been elected as 2024-2025 National FFA Secretary. In this video, Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net’s Matt Reese talks with him about the extreme honor.… Continue reading
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Ohio had a tremendous presence at the National FFA Convention this week.
Landon Haney, Arcanum-MVCTC FFA Chapter, was named the American Star in Agribusiness. The lessons, experience, and mentorship that FFA exposed Landon Haney to helped him launch and grow his own successful business, Haney’s Mowing and Landscaping, LLC, and launch his career in high school. What began as completing small lawn care and leaf cleanup jobs has turned into a 7-person operation offering hardscaping, drainage solutions, gravel grading, sod and seeding, and snow removal. Haney hopes to continue growing the business and transition from owner/operator to manager of a larger operation with many more employees.
“The experience of starting a business from scratch has impacted my future because I know now that there is no limit on what I can accomplish in my life,” Haney said. “Becoming a business owner allows me to be a well-rounded individual in society and learn multiple types of skill sets.”… Continue reading
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