Twenty agricultural youth from across Oklahoma have earned top placings in the 2025 American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Agricultural Achievement Contest. The contest was conducted in conjunction with the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) in Oklahoma City March 11-21. This year, AFR presented $15,000 in prizes to contestants prior to the Oklahoma Youth Expo Grand Drive March 20.
The AFR Agricultural Achievement Contest recognizes outstanding youth in Oklahoma who display exceptional showmanship skills and possess extensive knowledge of the livestock industry, including production, management, processing and end-product utilization.
“As an organization, we are proud to offer development and scholarship opportunities to the youth of Oklahoma,” said AFR President Scott Blubaugh. “Our annual Agricultural Achievement contest in particular is a great way for us to support the future of Oklahoma agriculture.”
Participation in the AFR Agricultural Achievement Contest is limited to Oklahoma junior and senior high school students who exhibit an animal at OYE. Contestants participate in showmanship rounds with their OYE animal and take a written test about the livestock industry. The top 20 finalists are individually assessed on their showmanship skills in a specific class. The combined scores from the test and showmanship evaluations determined the Top Ten contestants, who then advanced to a personal interview. Contestants ranked eleventh through twentieth were determined based solely on their test and showmanship scores. These final contestants were asked questions pertaining to the applicant’s livestock project and their overall knowledge of the livestock industry.
The 2025 AFR Ag Achievement Top Ten are:
First Place: Taryn McCaa, Elmore City-Pernell
Second Place: Claire Janssen, Amber-Pocasset
Third Place: Addyson Schneberger, Hydro-Eakly
Fourth Place: Poplyn Robinson, Dale
Fifth Place: Paisley Beshear, Wister
Sixth Place: Charli Paneque, Norman
Seventh Place: Kyriana Beard, Stillwater
Eighth Place: Lauren Crosthwait, Stillwater
Ninth Place: Kylee Bell, Dover
Tenth Place: Allison Criner, Porter
Eleventh Place: Ella Allen, Konawa
Twelfth Place: Taylor Marrs, Tecumseh
Thirteenth Place: Heath Laubach, Mooreland
Fourteenth Place: Breya Sargent, Norman
Fifteenth Place: Dade DeLozier, Adair
Sixteenth Place: Darla Fesmire, Oklahoma Union
Seventeenth Place: Abbiegail Shobe, Grove
Eighteenth Place: Kynseth Zubrod, Guthrie
Nineteenth Place: Katlin Adams, Amber-Pocasset
Twentieth Place: Hailey Helmke, Fox
The AFR Ag Achievement Contest is just one of many AFR Youth Program traditions. The organization also hosts a youth leadership summit, statewide scholarships, speech contests, livestock judging and grading competitions, and many other development opportunities. For more information on this contest or other AFR Youth Program projects, contact AFR Youth Development Program afryouth@afrmic.com.
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.
