When thousands of young agriculturalists converged on Indianapolis for the 99th National FFA Convention and Expo, they brought more than just blue corduroy jackets. Under a theme of “Evolve, Engage, Empower,” students from across the Cowboy State excelled at the national competition, bringing home championships and a host of top honors across several categories.
According to an Oct. 28 press release issued by the Wyoming FFA Association, the state’s results included three national agriscience championships, one National FFA Agricultural Proficiency Award, five top-10 team finishes, and 49 American FFA Degree recipients. These results reflect a sustained commitment, skills, and confidence gained throughout competitions.
From Agriscience to Parliamentary Procedure
Wyoming FFA State Advisor Stacy Broda noted that many of these teams invested a year or more of their lives studying, practicing, and learning together.
“These accomplishments reflect the dedication of our members and the commitment of the advisors, families and communities who support them. We are proud to see Wyoming students apply their skills, share their ideas and represent our state on the national stage,” Broda said in the release.
That preparation paid dividends across a dizzying array of Career Development Events (CDE) and Leadership Development Events (LDE). In the agricultural sales category, the Torrington-Lingle FFA team—composed of Kaleb Booth, Tatum Carlson, Carter Groene, and Emilee Roth—earned sixth place overall, with Groene recognized as the ninth high individual.
Meanwhile, Snowy Range FFA earned silver emblems in Agricultural Issues Forum, Conduct of Chapter Meetings, and Poultry Evaluation, alongside a gold emblem in Meats Evaluation and Technology. Their Parliamentary Procedure team composed of Hannah Coxbill, Stacy Ruggles, Shanna Stinson, Caden Miller, Benjamin Bredehoft, and James Vasek claimed fourth place, with Miller named Outstanding Member of the competition.
Additional team highlights dotted the scoreboard. A Wheatland FFA team composed of Chase Rasnake, Chaizley Williams, Margaret Hicks, and Cooper Meyer earned ninth place in Agronomy, while Wheatland FFA also earned a silver emblem in the Environmental and Natural Resources CDE. Casper FFA took third place in Farm and Agribusiness Management, powered by Carter Cox, Cooper Cox, Trever Campbell, and Kadin Pollock, with Pollock earning seventh high individual overall. A team from Sheridan FFA composed of Levi Peldo, Natalee Herbst, Stephen Gamble, and Ella Hiller earned fifth place in Livestock Evaluation, with Gamble finishing as the fourth high individual.
Wyoming Members Capture National Agriscience Championships
Wyoming’s members were competitive in the national agriscience fair. Brody John-Matthew Medina of Cheyenne Frontier FFA captured a national championship in Food Products and Processing Division Five, while fellow Cheyenne Frontier FFA members Samantha Duran and Emily Shuck were declared national champions in Social Systems Division Four. Medina added to his accolades by clinching a national champion title in the Entrepreneurship/Placement Division of Agricultural Communications.
Joslyn Pischke of Upton FFA was the national champion of Social Science Division Three.
The American FFA Degree—the highest degree achievable within the National FFA Organization—was awarded to 49 Wyoming students. Cheyenne Big Country FFA Advisor Brian Cox was awarded an Honorary American FFA Degree in recognition of outstanding service to FFA members and agricultural education.
Wyoming was represented by State Officers Xander Depew, Dani Santee, Colton Smith, and Corbin Williams who served as Wyoming’s official delegates and worked with other delegates and state officers from across the country to revise policies and implement new programming changes to the National FFA Organization. For rural communities across Wyoming, the convention proved that the next generation of agricultural leadership is already hard at work.
