Ohio FFA

Today, State Vice President, Paige Gehret, gave testimony on behalf of Ohio FFA, among several other Ohio agricultural organizations and representatives, during the Joint Legislative Agriculture Committee at the Ohio State Fair. She shared about her SAE and positive experiences as an FFA member. Thank you to all who attended and listened.

Members of the Ohio FFA state officer team attended the ribbon cutting of the brand new Ohio Agriculture Center and imAGine Ag exhibit at the Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds on July 27. The building launches a new era of showcasing the agriculture industry during the Ohio State Fair and beyond. Stop in and explore for yourself July 29-August 9!

Harvesting the future: New Ohio Agriculture Center ready for fairgoers Ohio leaders officially opened the new Ohio Agriculture Center on Monday, unveiling a space they say is designed to celebrate the state's largest industry.

RISE Program connects Lima FFA member to a career in agriculture At the 98th Ohio FFA Convention, Sunrise Cooperative announced its 2026 class of new hires for the RISE FFA Career Program. Following an application and interview process, Sunrise hired 12 graduating seniors for full-time positions. The program was designed to encourage immediate employment with Sun

Congratulations to Bailee Amstutz of North Union FFA! She was named a finalist for the American Star Farmer award. She will represent Ohio at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo this fall.

FFA Advisors: The application window for the 2026-2027 Idea Collaborative closes July 1. If you are passionate about student engagement, be sure to apply at ohioffa.org/foundation/programs/idea-collaborative.

This professional development opportunity brings teachers together to exchange proven strategies for making FFA programs more accessible and engaging for students, regardless of background or ability. Beyond the benefit of peer collaboration, each participating teacher's FFA chapter will be awarded a $2,000 grant to support the implementation of a local project.

This experience is made possible by Farm Credit Mid-America and Nationwide.

Read to learn more about the Ohio Agricultural Educator of the Year, Mr. Alex Zimmer of Buckeye Valley-DACC FFA.

https://ocj.com/2026/06/introducing-ohios-golden-owl-2

Introducing Ohio’s Golden Owl Alex Zimmer serves as the agricultural educator and FFA advisor at Buckeye Valley High School, a satellite program of the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC). At the 98th Ohio FFA Convention, Zimmer was named this year’s Ohio Golden Owl Award winner. The award stands as a premier honor in Ohio agri...

Austin Manning, 2026-2027 Ohio FFA State President from the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington FFA Chapter, recently received a new set of wheels for the year courtesy of Sunrise Cooperative and presented by George Secor, President/CEO. At the 2027 Ohio FFA Convention, this truck will be awarded to an FFA member who will be hired to work for Sunrise Cooperative full time after graduation. Thank you, Sunrise Cooperative, for your continued partnership and investment in Ohio FFA members!

Congratulations to our 2026 scholarship recipients! The Ohio FFA Foundation is proud to have awarded more than $45,000 in college scholarships this spring to help students achieve their educational goals. Learn more at ohioffa.org/foundation/programs/scholarships.

Thank you, Farm Credit Mid-America, for supporting State FFA Degrees and the Stars Over Ohio at the 98th Ohio FFA Convention! Congratulations to the 1,269 members who earned their State FFA Degree and four members who were named as Stars Over Ohio. These students were recognized for excelling in their Supervised Agricultural Experiences:

Star in Agriscience – Connor Eckstein, Ridgemont
Star in Agribusiness – Masen Jolliff, Ridgemont
Star in Agricultural Placement – Lincoln Winner, Versailles
Star Farmer – Marin Argabright, Anna