Eastern States Exposition’s annual FFA Star Awards were distributed to four hardworking students on Saturday, September 13, under The Big Top Tent at The Big E. Grant Norfleet of Missouri, 2023-2024 National FFA Secretary, served as emcee.
The event took place just before an afternoon installment of Circus Spectacular: Disco Daze in front of a packed circus tent. The presentation was well-attended by friends and family members of the 4-H students and a prestigious guest list that included Eastern States Exposition (ESE) President and CEO Gene Cassidy; ESE Chairman David Henry; Director of Knowledge Exchange at Farm Credit East, Chris Laughton; and The Big E’s FFA Coordinator, Robert Eselby.
Farm Credit East is the primary sponsor for ESE’s Star Program. Candidates receive a participation stipend of $250, and winners are given $500 in addition to their stipend, as well as a testimonial from ESE, the home of The Big E.
“The FFA is the future of agriculture,” said Laughton. “We want to support them in any way we can. I have attended this event for more than seven years, and I look forward to each one.”
This contest recognizes youth in the Eastern Regional FFA who have earned the 2025 Star Award in their respective states. Applicants must have received the Star Award in their state in the applied category. The goal is to emphasize the importance of agriculture and agribusiness to the fair-going public and promote the work of agriculturists in the Eastern Region.
This year’s Star Farmer was Joleigh Nailor of Penn. Nailor grew up on her family farm where she managed daily chores, worked with a dairy herd, raised market livestock and operated a variety of farming equipment. She cares for and shows Milking Shorthorn heifers and market livestock at events such as the All-American Dairy Show and the Pennsylvania Farm Show. She has dedicated more than 1,900 hours to her projects and invested over $61,000. Her experience and upbringing have granted her a strong foundation for her future.
The Star in Agribusiness award was given to Grace Stowe of Va. Stowe’s supervised agricultural experience began as a job and quickly grew into a personal passion. She raises and maintains beehives both for the sale of honey and the environmental benefits that bees provide through pollination. Her project focuses on supporting local farmers, like those in her immediate community that grow strawberries and pumpkins, by increasing crop pollination. She also sold honey to create a profit she could reinvest in apiary. Each of her 30 frames housed approximately 50,000 bees, which allowed her to produce 120-150 lbs. of honey annually. She has earned two $1,000 grants over the past two years.
The Star in Ag Placement is Jenna Whiting of Penn. Her journey began with her family’s butcher shop, where she spent countless hours packing baskets with ground beef and labeling cuts of beef, pork and lamb. Over time, her role expanded to management, customer service, processing, record keeping and more responsibilities. She has gained extensive knowledge of federal regulations as well as proper labeling and packaging practices for USDA products. Whiting has invested greater than 1,800 hours in this role and profited more than $20,000 in gross earnings.
The Star in Agriscience is Nora Hoy of Penn. Her project explored how salt and sugar impact cells. She investigated the medicinal applications of honey and used agriculture-based studies, safe research practices and advocated for agriculture throughout the project. She dedicated more than 740 hours to her project and earned more than $8,000. In the future, she hopes to pursue a job in wildlife rehabilitation and restoration to further her agricultural and environmental priorities.
Each of these students, and the other candidates, are high-achieving, independent agricultural heroes. ESE and their partners are proud to recognize and support the next generation of farmers, and to sponsor the FFA Star Awards contest annually. Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
To see FFA students at work, visit Farm-A-Rama and the Mallary Complex during The Big E!