Meet the 2024 American Star Award recipients

The National FFA Organization has announced the winners of its 2024 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement, and American Star in Agriscience.

Winners were announced on the stage of Lucas Oil Stadium during the sixth General Session of the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis late last week.

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 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 interviewed four finalists in each category and selected the winners.

2024 National FFA Star Award winners

American Star Farmer: Paul Oliver, Tattnall County FFA, Reidsville, Georgia

Growing up amidst the fields and activity of his family farm and swine operations, Oliver developed a deep passion for agricultural life from an early age. After he began establishing his own farming operation in 2018 as his SAE, he found success quadrupling the size of his breeding stock, acquired a 135-acre farm, and turned an unmanaged pecan orchard into a thriving business.

His initial swine operation grew from 25 gilts and a boar to more than 100 during the Covid-19 pandemic with more time at home to work and increased demand for pork. During that time he also acquired 14 Hereford cows and a Black Angus bull, whose profits allowed him to purchase an adjacent farm featuring 55 acres of mature pecan trees and a pond to diversify his operations.

“Balancing the demands of school with the responsibilities of hog farming proved challenging in the early years, but my passion and dedication never wavered,” says Oliver. “I seized the opportunity to purchase cattle and land. These new ventures have deepened my appreciation for the strong work ethic instilled by my parents and grandparents. I am grateful for the ability to diversify my income while continuing to derive fulfillment from daily work on the land that holds familial significance.”

American Star in Agribusiness: Landon Haney, Arcanum-MVCTC FFA Chapter, Clayton, Ohio

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.

“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,” says Haney. “Becoming a business owner allows me to be a well-rounded individual in society and learn multiple types of skill sets.”

He hopes to continue growing the business and transition from owner/operator to manager of a larger operation with many more employees.

American Star in Agricultural Placement: Wylie Schwebach. Moriarty FFA Chapter, Moriarty, New Mexico

Since starting at his family’s business, Schwebach’s LLC, in 2018, Schwebach has increasingly mastered more complex duties and gained leadership experience while identifying and solving inefficiencies. Due to his knowledge of maintenance and repair, Schwebach has saved the farm 48 percent on transportation costs, labor costs, and time.

A resident of Moriarty High School and member of the Moriarity FFA chapter, Schwebach showed leadership on his 2,500-acre irrigated farm in central New Mexico as part of his SAE.

“My personal growth in each position contributed to my understanding of the importance of each job duty and how it all adds to the operation,” said Schwebach. “These qualities are of value in my pursuit of farm ownership and operation.”

American Star in Agriscience: Lizzie Schafer, Taylorville FFA, Taylorville, Illinois

Schafer’s research SAE began in an agreement with Schafer Stock Farm to use numerous recipient cows, elite donor females, cows with calves, and their facility and equipment in order to conduct bovine reproductive and cattle health research. Her findings have been utilized by Angus cattle producers in Illinois to increase the production of IVF calves and achieve above-average successful embryo transfer pregnancies.

“I’ve seen firsthand how my projects can assist other producers and recognize the importance of sharing my findings,” said Schafer. “This experience has helped me decide on a career choice in bovine science and instilled a passion to share my research results with others. My ultimate goal is to help impact our world by feeding our growing population with quality beef that is environmentally friendly.”

Schafer plans to pursue a degree in Animal Science from Kansas State University to help feed our growing population with quality beef that is environmentally friendly.