Award Finalists and Winners
With over 105,000 FFA members actively engaged in FFA and SAE activities, a tremendous number of deserving students apply for and receive awards and scholarships at the State FFA Leadership Conference each year.
Check this page out as finalists are announced and award schedules are created!
State Proficiency Finalists and winners
Congratulations to our 2025 State Proficiency Winners!
Agricultural Communications: Saray Madriz Alcaraz, Madera FFA
Agricultural Education: Kaycee Van Horn, Santa Maria FFA
Agricultural Mechanics Design/Fabrication: Trevor Wright, Hollister-San Benito FFA
Agricultural Mechanics Repair/Maintenance Entrepreneurship: Lucas Pulse, Atascadero FFA
Agricultural Mechanics Repair/Maintenance Placement: Alden Hansard, Atwater FFA
Agricultural Processing: Gavin Ames, Lakeside-El Capitan FFA
Agricultural Sales Entrepreneurship: Anabel Quintana, Lodi-Tokay FFA
Agricultural Sales Placement: Brandon Flores, Gonzalez FFA
Agricultural Services: Addison Bond, Palo Cedro-Foothill FFA
Agriscience Research – Animal Systems: Ari Rutman, Gilroy FFA
Agriscience Research – Integrated System: Riley Piehl, Santa Rosa FFA
Agriscience Research – Plant Systems: Juliana Carroll, St. Helena FFA
Beef Production Entrepreneurship: Peyton Wood, Yreka FFA
Beef Production Placement: Hayley Byrd, Corning FFA
Dairy Production Entrepreneurship: Mykell Mull, Chowchilla FFA
Dairy Production Placement: Lauren Silveira, Chowchilla FFA
Diversified Agricultural Production: Nicholas Bonomi, Sanger FFA
Diversified Crop Production Entrepreneurship: Owen Baffunno, Los Banos FFA
Diversified Crop Production Placement: Weston LaGrande, Arbuckle-Pierce FFA
Diversified Horticulture: Sophia Sisil, Madera-Liberty FFA
Diversified Livestock: Joseph Schnohr, Gridley FFA
Environmental Science/Nat Resources: Jacob Zuniga, St Helena FFA
Equine Science Entrepreneurship: Jacey Tweedy, Sanger FFA
Equine Science Placement: Genevieve Atwell, Cottonwood-West Valley FFA
Forage Production: Jack Majors, Visalia-Central Valley Christian FFA
Forest Management/Products: David Guerra, Santa Maria-Pioneer Valley FFA
Fruit and Nut Production: Rafael Rodriguez Gaytan, Riverdale FFA
Goat Production: Mathew Machado, Madera FFA
Grain Production Placement: Lane Dunbar, Nicolaus-East Nicolaus FFA
Landscape Installation: Christopher Tornero, Madera FFA
Nursery Operations: Chase Weiland, Wildomar-Elsinore FFA
Outdoor Recreation: Nicolas Bump, Marysville FFA
Poultry Production: Taleah Lusk, Altaville-Bret Hart FFA
Service Learning: Andrea Guzman-Soto, Santa Maria-Pioneer Valley FFA
Sheep Production: Elizabeth Wagster, Atascadero FFA
Small Animal Production and Care: Dylan Cardey, Atwater FFA
Specialty Animal Production: Madison Stayer, Palo Cedro-Foothill FFA
Specialty Crop Production: Rebekah Villalobos, Atwater FFA
Swine Production Entrepreneurship: Kallie Loogman, Hanford FFA
Swine Production Placement: Grace Curry, Hughson FFA
Turf Grass and Landscape Management: Jose Avalos, Galt FFA
Vegetable Production: Charles Ferguson, Lemoore FFA
Veterinary Medicine: Peyton Heermance, Altaville-Bret Hart FFA
Wildlife Management: Mori Stidman, Visalia-VTEC FFA
State SAE Star Award Finalists and Winners
Congratulations to our State STAR Award Winners
STAR IN AGRIBUSINESS
Adrian Sanchez, Madera FFA
STAR IN AGRISCIENCE
Salyn Meas, Lakeside-El Capitan FFA
STAR IN AGRICULTURE PLACEMENT
Alden Hansard, Atwater FFA
STAR FARMER
Peyton Wood, Yreka FFA
State Scholarship Finalists and winners
Almond Board of California ($3,500) | Allison Aguiar | Winters FFA |
Almond Board of California ($4,000) | Kate Grizzle | Holtville FFA |
Almond Board of California ($2,500) | Tessa Camacho | O'Neals Minarets FFA |
Almond Board of California ($1,500) | Neveah Delgado | Modesto-Grace Davis FFA |
Almond Board of California ($5,000) | Shellie Hance | Sebastapol-Analy FFA |
Almond Board of California ($4,000) | Ryley Vanella | Durham FFA |
Almond Board of California ($2,500) | Eva Scott | Sutter FFA |
Almond Board of California ($1,500) | Chase Weiland | Wildomar-Elsinore FFA |
Almond Board of California ($1,500) | Madelyn Rudnick | Bakersfield-Christian FFA |
Almond Board of California (1,500) | Grant Downs | Bakersfield-Frontier FFA |
Almond Board of California ($1,500) | Lillie Brander | Atascadero FFA |
Betty Bushong Memorial | Jeanne Oosterman | Ripon Christian FFA |
Betty Bushong Memorial | Andrea Guzman Soto |
Santa Maria – Pioneer Valley FFA |
Bob Heuvel Memorial | Evelyn Calkins | Carpintera FFA |
Byron J. McMahon Memorial | Joseph O'Neal, | Galt-Liberty Ranch FFA |
Dean McNeilly | Daren Deftereos | Hanford FFA |
Dorothy & Richard McMillan Memorial | Alexavier Carrillo | Menifee – Heritage FFA |
Frank Shaw Jr. Memorial | Ramon Alcaraz | Hanford FFA |
Golden State Agriculture Foundation | Noah Stanisai | Temecula-St Jeanne Catholic FFA |
Jaimie Lynne Pettey Memorial | Adrian Figueroa | Gilroy FFA |
Jaimie Lynne Pettey Memorial | Elizabeth Quintero Rubio | Dinuba FFA |
Jaimie Lynne Pettey Memorial | Geneve York |
Turlock Christian FFA |
Jaimie Lynne Pettey Memorial Sourthern | Addison Castro | Brawley FFA |
Jaimie Lynne Pettey Memorial Sourthern | Kate Grizzle | Holtville FFA |
Jamie Lynn Pettey Memorial Southern | Sophia Yoshida | Wildomar-Elsinore FFA |
Jaimie Lynne Pettey Memorial Sourthern | Alexander Carrillo | Menifee – Heritage FFA |
Jerry L. Biggs Memorial | Ester Verdugo | Patterson FFA |
Jerry T. Davis Memorial | Siena Boscaro | San Luis Obispo FFA |
Mabel W. Jacks Memorial | Andrew Chow | Bakersfield– Highland FFA |
Mabel W. Jacks Memorial | Gianna Domenichelli | Healdsburg FFA |
Mabel W. Jacks Memorial | Adrian Mendoza | Lodi – Tokay FFA |
Paul Freitas Memorial | Peyton Wood | Yreka FFA |
Ron Schuler Memorial | Brendy Puckett | Modesto-Johansen FFA |
Universal Technical Institute | Jaime Zavala | Greenfield FFA |
Universal Technical Institute | Alexander Rohr | Menifee-Heritage FFA |
Universal Technical Institute | Randy Martinez |
Santa Maria-Pioneer Valley FFA |
Willey Family Horticulture | Keelyn Walker | Santa Rosa FFA |
Zenith | Owen Baffunno | Los Banos FFA |
Zenith | Briana Munoz | Lakeside – El Capitan FFA |
Zenith | Wyatt Thompson |
Grass Valley – Bear River FFA |
Zenith | Sophia Yoshida | Wildomar - Elsinore FFA |
State Distinguished Service Award Winners
California Farm Bureau, Sacramento
Grow West, Woodland
California Agricultural Teachers' Association, Galt
State Honorary Degree Recipients
Cindy Brown
Mrs. Brown is a Past CATA President, previous high school agriculture teacher for 40 years and is a current instructor at Porterville College. While teaching, she truly loved training her Poultry Judging teams. Her passion and love has benefited our association through her facilitation of the State FFA Poultry CDE Finals for the past eight years. Mrs. Brown was a no-nonsense teacher with a fun side as well, and continues to maintain that approach while being responsible for coordinating staff and transporting birds to the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus. Her diligence has allowed the poultry event to be a success while providing quality experiences for FFA members and their advisors. Mrs. Brown has brought her knowledge and wisdom to ensure that the California FFA Poultry event is conducted with rigor and relevance for those who share her passion for the poultry industry. Mrs. Brown has truly made a difference to the Agricultural Education Profession.
Jacob Odello
Mr. Odello serves as the chairperson of the Agriculture Education Advisory Committee, which is appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. As the Chair of the committee for the past three years, Mr. Odello led the development of the 2025-2030 Agriculture Education Strategic Plan. Additionally, he judges proficiency awards and scholarships, which directly affect students' success. When he is not working on behalf of California FFA, he is the Director for Food and Industrial Safety at the Nunes Company. California FFA is fortunate to have someone who has a passion for agriculture education and FFA members. Thank you for making a difference in Agriculture Education and for all of your efforts and vision for generations to come.
Dr. Benjamin Swan
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Agriculture Education and Communication Department Chairperson, Dr. Benjamin Swan has given 15 years of service to the California State FFA organization by working with his colleagues and providing oversight to the State FFA CDE Finals. Dr. Swan has overseen the logistics component of the State Finals, specifically working with and securing event advisors, student chairs. and industry sponsors. In addition, Dr. Swan has worked with the university leadership while dedicating his professional career to working for the success of our state association and his collegiate students as future agriculture teachers. We also appreciate and value his assistance with the CATA Conference for our California FFA Advisors. Dr. Swan, we don’t say thank you nearly enough.
Dr. Andrew Thullin
California Polytechnic State University, Retired Dean Andrew Thulin has given 25 years of service to the California State FFA organization in countless ways, but we recognize him for his commitment to ensuring that Cal Poly had the resources to assure they could host and facilitate the State CDE Finals Event on the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus. Dean Thulin has ensured that the facilities and staff have been made available to the California FFA at no cost and has worked closely with the university leadership to provide for regional and state CATA conferences. In addition, he was instrumental in securing the significant scholarships to our California State FFA officers who have chosen to be students in San Luis Obispo. Dean Thulin has ensured student success while providing and ensuring quality experiences for our California “blue and gold”. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Dr. Thulin in his retirement.
Dan Crookham
As an agriculture educator in Exeter for 34 years, Dan Crookham has become recognized as an Agriculture Mechanics expert and has used that knowledge to help new and veteran teachers in the field. His engaging approach attracts many outstanding students to become involved. Dan hosts CDE contests statewide, and he developed the Ag Mechanics Fair CDE contest that has grown in popularity. Additionally, he has helped grow the California Youth Ag Expo Agriculture Mechanics auction that has allowed talented Ag Mechanics students to benefit financially for their hard work. Mr. Crookham has truly made a difference.
Michael Clifford
Michael Clifford is responsible for serving as the Dairy Cattle CATA representative at the California FFA State Finals on the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus for seven years. Mr. Clifford looks forward each year to ensuring that the logistics for this event are conducted professionally and scored accurately. While a high school agriculture teacher, he loved teaching agriculture skills to his students for 30 years so that they could either use these skills for a profession or in their home lives. He always saw the potential in each student and encouraged them to do their best. His dedication to the agricultural industry and commitment to the California FFA is admired by countless individuals. Mr. Clifford, thank you for serving on the California FFA Adult Board and the California FFA Advisory Board for twelve years.
Dr. John Williams
Dr. John Williams has made significant contributions to California Agricultural Education. For the past five years, he has been a member of the California Agricultural Teachers Association (CATA) state officer team. During his tenure, he and his fellow CATA officers have worked to promote the well-being of those involved in agricultural education and ensure that the organization is sustainably supporting the more than 1,000 Ag teachers that are members of the greatest profession in the world. In addition to his role at CATA, Dr. Williams is a professor at Fresno State University. In this position, he has organized numerous state final contests in mechanized agriculture. Dr. Williams's years of servant leadership in agricultural education make him truly deserving of a California Honorary State FFA Degree.
Kevin Woodard
Mr. Woodard has made significant contributions to the statewide effort in Agricultural Education in California. He served as a member of the California Agricultural Teachers Association (CATA) Executive Committee for five years, leading during the challenging COVID pandemic. Alongside his fellow committee members, Mr. Woodard worked diligently to ensure that all student opportunities remained accessible despite unprecedented circumstances. His time in office was marked by some of the most turbulent periods in the organization's history, which spans over 100 years. In addition to his year of service on the CATA Executive Committee, Kevin is the host coordinator for the Natural Resources Management State Finals Career Development Event held at Reedley College. This combined with serving on the FFA Adult Board is why he deserves Honorary membership.
Diane Wong
Dr. Gregory Schwartz
An Agricultural Mechanics CDE advisor for eight years and professor at Cal Poly, Dr. Gregory Schwartz is a faculty member in the Agriculture Engineering Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Dr. Schwartz looks forward each year to ensuring that the logistics for this event are conducted professionally and scored accurately. He works closely with industry representatives for donations and assists the student chairs in organizing the event. Dr. Schwartz’s passion for this event is evident by calculating all the California FFA Field Day data to determine the top 24 teams to compete in the State Finals Ag Mechanics CDE. His diligent work ethic has allowed several FFA members to advance their skills in the area of Agricultural Mechanics. With an economy in great need of people with these skills, we are fortunate to have his expertise leading us.