> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thestreatorstandard.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Streator FFA Takes State by Storm (Twice!)
- URL: https://www.thestreatorstandard.com/f/streator-ffa-takes-state-by-storm-twice/
- Published: 2025-06-11T16:36:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T13:59:05.000Z
- Author: The Streator Standard
- Tags: Community

In a year where most headlines feel like budget gaps and business closures, the Streator FFA Chapter is out here stacking trophies like hay bales—and they know a thing or two about hay bales.

With immense pride, the Streator FFA was recently crowned **State Champion** not once, but **twice**—first in the National Chapter Award area of *Strengthening Agriculture*, and again in the *Ag Communications Career Development Event* (CDE). In a town that used to be known for glassmaking, it turns out we’re still manufacturing excellence.

### Strengthening Agriculture? Yeah, They’re Doing That.

The National Chapter Award evaluates chapters in three categories: growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture. And guess where Streator came out on top?

FFA peers across Illinois selected Streator as **best in the state** for its robust activities strengthening agriculture in both the school and the community. Programs like *Fighting Fires for the Future*, *Closing the Pie Gap*, and *Tag Your Ag* weren’t just catchy names—they were impactful, meaningful efforts that tied students to real agricultural experiences.

To quote something Orion Samuelson never actually said (but absolutely could have):

**“If you want to grow a strong country, start by growing kids who know how to feed it.”**

And honestly? That sounds about right.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/ce/e9cef966-7d64-4cad-8a00-a2753d6b59d3/content/images/2026/10/img-084.jpg)

### Ag Comms Champs—From Feature Stories to TikTok (Probably)

Meanwhile, the **Ag Communications Team** wasn’t content to just grow crops—they’re out here growing content. This group of high-achieving ag journalists took home the **State Champion title** in their own competitive arena and will now represent all of Illinois at the 2025 National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

Their contest included:

- A **communications plan**
- A **feature story**
- A **video broadcast**
- A **magazine spread**
- And a **social media campaign**

(So yes, future newsletters, TikToks, and news releases are in good hands.)

Team members Klay Schaffner, Annika Michlik, Grace Nasvytis, and Destany Krebsbach didn’t just show up—they *shut it down*. Their work highlighted not just skill, but a keen understanding of modern ag storytelling.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/ce/e9cef966-7d64-4cad-8a00-a2753d6b59d3/content/images/2026/10/img-085.jpg)

### Hay Plots & Hard Work

And let’s not forget the behind-the-scenes work happening in the literal fields. Streator FFA Plot Manager Kiana Hawthorne spent her week organizing every step of the hay production process: from cutting, raking, baling, to selling—all on a plot donated by Bill Walsh Automotive. The Lukach and Glascock families pitched in, too, making this a full-on community affair.

It’s the kind of grassroots, cooperative spirit that makes even the most cynical among us believe in the power of local agriculture—and local youth.

### A Win for Streator

These achievements aren’t just wins for the FFA. They’re wins for the high school, for local ag traditions, and for a community that often gets overlooked when people talk about “innovation” or “leadership.”

Let’s be honest: the national media won’t cover this. But here in Streator, we know better. We know that growing something real—whether it’s crops, leadership, or future journalists—takes more than a press release and a grant. It takes people who care.

The Streator FFA cares. And because of that, we all get to win.

**More trophies to come. Probably more hay, too.**