The National FFA Organization has announced the 16 finalists for its 2025 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience. One of those 16 is Oklahoma FFA member Ryder Klassen of Hydro- Eakly FFA.
Last fall in Indianapolis, Klassen was named the National Champion Proficiency Award winner in Diversified Crop Production – Entrepreneurship.
Ryder Klaassen rents three farms and grows wheat, black-eyed peas, mung beans, and cotton in rotation. He has negotiated and held several contracts in domestic and global markets. Klaassen is a member of the Hydro-Eakly FFA Chapter in Oklahoma, and his FFA advisor is Chris Klaassen. Listen to Ron Hays talk with Ryder after that national championship by clicking on the listen bar below:
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 will interview the finalists and select one winner from each award category for the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis this fall. The four winners will be announced during the convention.
Bayer, Cargill, Case IH, John Deere and Syngenta sponsor the American FFA Degree recognition program and the American Star Awards.
The finalists are:
American Star Farmer
Nathan Clark from the Locust Trace FFA Chapter in Kentucky
Brady Frascht from the Charles City FFA Chapter in Iowa
Ryder Klaassen from the Hydro-Eakly FFA Chapter in Oklahoma
Benjamin Joseph Scheresky from the Max FFA Chapter in North Dakota
American Star in Agribusiness
Nash McKenzie from the Boonville FFA Chapter in Missouri
John Buryl Neely from the Woodbury FFA Chapter in Tennessee
Blake Twenhafel from the Wescline FFA Chapter in Illinois
Trevor Wright from the Hollister-San Benito FFA Chapter in California
American Star in Agricultural Placement
Braden Compton from the Meade County FFA Chapter in Kentucky
Nevin Erbsen from the Eastland FFA Chapter in Illinois
Caldyn David Huper from the United South Central FFA Chapter in Minnesota
Amanda Osmundson from the Oakdale FFA Chapter in California
American Star in Agriscience
Delana Erbsen of the Eastland FFA Chapter in Illinois
Joanna Hamilton from the Felicity-Franklin FFA Chapter in Ohio
Matthias David Hefty from the DeKalb FFA Chapter in Indiana
Madison Perkins from the Gilmer FFA Chapter in Texas
Visit FFA.org/Stars for more information about the American Star Awards.
