St. James FFA sophomore Seble Stutzman is one of 30 sophomores in the state selected by the Missouri Department of Agriculture to attend the 2026 Missouri Agribusiness Academy this summer. The group will spend June 1-5 in St. Louis exploring careers in agriculture, building leadership skills and learning more about farming, ranching and food production.

The application process is competitive and only open to active FFA or 4-H members, or students who come from a farming family. The state is sorted into six geographical regions, and five students from each region are chosen to attend.

Written applications are scored by a panel of judges, and the top ten applicants in each region move onto an in-person interview. The five applicants with the highest combined written and interview scores from each district are selected for the program.

Since 1988, the Missouri Agribusiness Academy has awarded a total of 1,140 academy memberships with the goal of helping young people carry on the legacy of those who have made Missouri a leader in agriculture.

The program is only open to sophomores and is intended to help them explore opportunities to pursue agriculture-related college degrees and careers.

Beyond the summer program, the students are brought back together later in the summer for a session at the Missouri State Fair and again during FFA week so they can stay connected.

“They really try to keep them where they start reconnecting throughout the year, instead of just having a few days in the summer and kind of sending them on their way,” FFA Advisor Trish Watson said. “They just continue to build the program. We’re really excited for her.”