Charles City FFA Named 2025 Iowa FFA National Chapter Winner

To The Press

The Charles City FFA program was recently named the 2025 Iowa National Chapter Winner at the 97th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference held at Iowa State University in Ames.

The National Chapter Award program encourages participating chapters to plan activities and carry them out with a successful program of activities. Chapters are recognized for outstanding achievement in the areas of growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. The National Chapter Awards are sponsored by John Deere as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

“I am proud of all the work our members do in our community,” said FFA Advisor Bret Spurgin. “They deserve this recognition as a showcase of that work.”

This is the fifth year in a row that the Charles City FFA chapter has been either named as the Supreme Model of Excellence in Iowa or has been recognized as a top 10 finalist. The program was previously named the top program in the state in 2022.

Along with the chapter being recognized as the top chapter in the state at the event held last week, 14 members of the Charles City FFA received their Iowa FFA Degrees during the leadership conference.

The Iowa FFA Degree is the highest degree that can be bestowed upon an FFA member by the Iowa FFA Association each year. Only 5% of the FFA members in Iowa receive the degree each year.

To receive the Iowa FFA Degree, FFA members must meet the following standards:

1) Have been an active FFA member for at least 24 months;

2) Have completed at least two years of systematic instruction in agricultural education;

3) Have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 or worked at least 375 hours in a supervised agricultural experience program;

4) Have a satisfactory scholastic record;

5) Have demonstrated leadership abilities from a specific list of activities;

6) Have completed 25 hours of community service; and

7) Have participated in at least five different FFA activities above the local level.

Each Iowa FFA Degree recipient receives a certificate and the golden State FFA Degree Charm which is made possible with support from Corteva Agriscience Pioneer Brand Seeds through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

Members who received the degree this year are: Abby Assink, Kylie Blunt, Trevor Carolan, Dillan Dight, Brayden Ellis, Payton Hadley, Quinn Heidebrink, Jordin Ritter, Anya Ruzicka, Jackson Ruzicka, Everett Schmitt, Xavier Scott, Isabelle Vance and Alex Wright.

Along with getting his Iowa FFA Degree, Jackson Ruzicka was recognized as one of the four finalists for the Iowa FFA Stars of Iowa in Agriculture Production.

Twenty finalists were selected in four different areas: agribusiness, agricultural placement, agricultural production and agriscience. The finalists were selected from a pool of more than 900 FFA members that will earn the Iowa FFA Degree.

The star awards recognize students who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through their career development programs and demonstrated outstanding management skills.

FFA member Everett Schmitt was also recognized as a FFA Proficiency Winner in the area of agricultural sales.

State winners will advance to the National FFA competition where they will compete against winners from the other state FFA Associations. The four national finalists that are selected from each area will be recognized at the National FFA Convention and Expo in October.