At the Iowa FFA State Convention held April 18, 2023 at Iowa State University, South O’Brien’s Grant Wagner competed in the FFA State Star in Agriscience competition.
Over the past five years, Grant, a senior, served many years as an officer for the South O’Brien FFA chapter, was very involved in FFA activities, and kept great records of his Supervised Ag Experiences, which led him into becoming a finalist in the Star in Ag Placement competition.
The star awards recognize students who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through their career development programs and demonstrated outstanding management skills, active FFA participation and an exemplary scholastic record.
Grant enjoyed this competition because he was able to meet many new judges and gained a lot of information from them. Wanger said this competition pushed him out of his comfort zone by having to talk in front of people, but he said it was a great learning experience for him.
“We really have some outstanding students here at South O’Brien. Grant being named a finalist for this award is another example” said South O’Brien FFA Advisor Eric Kumm. “This is quite an honor for Grant to be chosen as one of the six finalists in the Ag Placement category, out of a pool of 682 Iowa Degrees.”
While at the state convention, Grant also performed as a member of the state FFA band which he really enjoyed. Grant’s advice for younger members is to keep good records of your experiences and to get involved in this great FFA program we have at South O’Brien.