It’s been a few weeks since the 2025 Iowa State FFA Convention, and one chapter from Guthrie County brought back an impressive reward.

Adair – Casey / Guthrie Center FFA member Lilah Heinz applied for and received the Rising Star Award for the Southwest Iowa FFA District. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that she was excited to hear that she got the award, and what it means to her to have been chosen for it.

“It really meant a whole lot because I’m representing my chapter in a good light and it was a big personal goal for me that I was able to achieve. So it felt really good.”

Heinz mentions that keeping up with her records for her Supervised Agricultural Experience was the first step in receiving the award. She adds that then submitting the application and answering questions about her SAE in an interview were the next steps.