Four members of the OHP/Triad FFA chapter were recently awarded the American FFA Degree during the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo on October 24, 2026.
The four local recipients were Luke Ford, Holden LeVan, Adler Perry and Joe Williams. More than 5,800 American FFA Degrees were awarded nationwide during this year’s convention.
Ford is currently majoring in Agricultural Systems Management at The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI). LeVan is majoring in Animal Science at Black Hawk College, while Perry is employed with Champion Wash LLC. Williams is also majoring in Agricultural Systems Management at The Ohio State University’s main campus.
The American FFA Degree is the highest honor an FFA member can receive and recognizes individuals for their outstanding achievements in agricultural business, production, processing and service programs.
To qualify, members must have earned at least $10,000 through a supervised agricultural experience (SAE) program, or earned at least $2,000 while completing at least 2,250 hours of work outside of classroom time. These experiences may include owning a business, working in a professional position or conducting research.
Applicants must also complete at least 50 hours of community service and demonstrate strong leadership abilities and civic involvement through various FFA and community activities.
Less than one percent of FFA members nationwide achieve the American FFA Degree.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based youth leadership development organization with more than 1 million student members across 9,591 local chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
