OKLAHOMA CITY—Twenty agricultural youth from across Oklahoma have earned top placings in the 2026 American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Agricultural Achievement Contest. The contest was conducted in conjunction with the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) in Oklahoma City March 10-20. This year, AFR presented $15,000 in prizes to contestants prior to the Oklahoma Youth Expo Grand Drive March 19.
The AFR Agricultural Achievement Contest recognizes outstanding youth in Oklahoma who display exceptional showmanship skills and possess extensive knowledge of the livestock industry, including production, management, processing and end-product utilization.
“As an organization, we are proud to offer development and scholarship opportunities to the youth of Oklahoma,” said AFR President Scott Blubaugh. “Our annual Agricultural Achievement contest in particular is a great way for us to support the future of Oklahoma agriculture.”
Participation in the AFR Agricultural Achievement Contest is limited to Oklahoma junior and senior high school students who exhibit an animal at OYE. Contestants participate in showmanship rounds with their OYE animal and take a written test about the livestock industry. The top 20 finalists are individually assessed on their showmanship skills in a specific class. The combined scores from the test and showmanship evaluations determined the Top Ten contestants, who then advanced to a personal interview. Contestants ranked eleventh through twentieth were determined based solely on their test and showmanship scores. These final contestants were asked questions pertaining to the applicant’s livestock project and their overall knowledge of the livestock industry.
The 2026 AFR Ag Achievement Top Twenty are:
First Place: Lauren Crosthwait, Stillwater
Second Place: Kelton Arthur, Ripley
Third Place: Jade McPeak, Checotah
Fourth Place: Ellan Allen, Konawa
Fifth Place: Hadley Ott, Lomega
Sixth Place: Tassi Jo Fadely, Stillwater
Seventh Place: Emma Fletcher, Frederick
Eighth Place: Hailey Helmke, Fox
Ninth Place: Jace Taylor, Mulhall-Orlando
Tenth Place: Leighton McNair, Crescent
Eleventh Place: Kylee Bell, Dover
Twelfth Place: Abigail Breese, Porum
Thirteenth Place: Issac Nowakowski, Pawnee
Fourteenth Place: Cierra Collins, Frederick
Fifteenth Place: Hope Metcalf, Elk City
Sixteenth Place: Cooper Davidson, Elgin
Seventeenth Place: Ridge Garrett, Guthrie
Eighteenth Place: Madison Dunn, Rush Springs
Nineteenth Place: Carli Thomas, Purcell
Twentieth Place: Jaxson Staggs, Purcell
The AFR Ag Achievement Contest is just one of many AFR Youth Program traditions. The organization also hosts a youth leadership summit, statewide scholarships, speech contests, livestock judging and grading competitions, and many other development opportunities. For more information on this contest or other AFR Youth Program projects, contact AFR Youth Development Program [email protected].
AFR Cooperative is a membership services organization established in 1905 as Oklahoma Farmers Union. AFR provides educational, legislative and cooperative programs across the state and serves as a watchdog for Oklahoma’s family farmers and ranchers and rural communities. The organization is actively supportive of the state’s agricultural industry and rural population with membership consisting of farmers actively involved in production agriculture and non-farmers adding their voice in support of AFR principles.
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