Senior Jacob Kaiser is one of five finalists for the Stars Over Iowa.

Over 600 FFA members apply for the Star Over Iowa awards every year, with 23 students becoming finalists in the four different award areas: Agribusiness, Agricultural Placement, Agricultural Production, or Agriscience.

Star Over Iowa qualifiers must excel in their classroom work, in their SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience), and in their FFA involvement. They also fill out two applications answering questions about specific skills, financial data, and innovative approaches used to complete his/her project.

Kaiser spent 600 hours working on his SAE project, which was the Ag Education Lab where the FFA chapter’s three cows and three calves are housed.

“I chose to apply for the Agriscience award because my SAE project met all of their requirements, especially the science in creating the cows’ feed rations,” Kaiser said.

During the construction approval process, Kaiser presented his ideas to the school board, to the city council, to the DNR and to citizens who live within 1,300 feet of the building.

Kaiser served as a chapter treasurer this past year and has participated at state FFA every year. He also enrolled in Animal Science, Farm Business, Aquaculture, and Agriculture Exploration classes.

“It’s my job to encourage students to be involved in every way possible, and finding someone who is willing is always a win,” FFA adviser Tammy Schnieders said.

Kaiser will be honored as a finalist at the State FFA Convention in Ames on April 16 where he will complete an interview to determine who will be named the Star Over Iowa.

“Walking across the stage in front of over 6,000 people is going to be nerve-racking, but I will be okay,” Kaiser said.