The Stars Over Wisconsin serve as a reminder that the sky is the limit when looking to achieve goals. This year’s Stars include Oscar Stowell (Agribusiness), Katelyn Wunder (Agricultural Placement), Owen Hemling (Agriscience) and Liv Lucas (Farmer).
Star In Agribusiness
Oscar Stowell of the Waupun Area FFA wins Wisconsin FFA Star in Agribusiness. Oscar’s SAE centers on his beekeeping business, Oscar’s Apiary Honey. Since starting with a single hive in eighth grade, he has expanded his operation to 20 hives and now produces more than 350 pounds of honey annually. He manages all aspects of the business, including hive care, honey extraction, bottling, and sales.
As his operation has grown, Oscar has taken on increasing responsibilities in management, including financial planning, advertising, and future investments. He promotes his products through packaging, social media, and outreach while also educating youth and community groups about honey bees and the importance of the industry.
Oscar’s experiences have strengthened his passion for beekeeping and inspired him to continue developing his skills in
apiculture and agribusiness. Oscar is the son of Ralph and Teresa Stowell. His FFA advisors are Hannah Hockerman, Lucas VanErgten and Tori Hagen.
Star in Agricultural Placement
Katelyn Wunder of the Waterford FFA is the Wisconsin Star in Agricultural Placement winner. Katelyn works at two veterinary clinics as a veterinary assistant. In her position, she supports veterinarians in their work.
When she first began, she spent much of her time shadowing coworkers throughout the clinic. Today, Katelyn independently manages patients by obtaining histories, monitoring vital signs, preparing vaccines and prescriptions, assisting during exams, and completing patient records. She also helps with surgery preparation, x-rays, lab work, drawing blood, and monitoring surgery patients. Through every responsibility, she strives to create a low-stress environment for both animals and staff. Katelyn hopes to one day become a veterinarian dedicated to providing compassionate high-quality care.
Katelyn’s mother is Debra Wunder. Her advisor is Michael Wicks.
Star in Agriscience
Owen Hemling of the Beaver Dam FFA is the Wisconsin Star in Agriscience winner. Owen’s agriscience research began with poultry feed trials and expanding into projects involving phosphorus runoff, ammonia emissions, and cadmium remediation. His early work used a spectrophotometer and statistical analysis to evaluate the effects of phytase on phosphorus excretion in poultry.
He later partnered with the University of Georgia to code an ammonia sensor to test bedding additives that reduce emissions. Recently, he collaborated with University of Wisconsin–Madison to determine whether radishes could reduce cadmium pollution.
As his SAE progressed, Owen’s responsibilities grew from basic data collection to designing full procedures, handling chemicals, and interpreting complex data. Owen discovered a passion for engineering solutions to agricultural challenges and plans to become an agricultural engineer.
Owen’s parents are Nick and Melissa Hemling. His advisors are Jonathon Ganske and Mackenzie Chitko.
Star Farmer
Liv Lucas of the Greenwood FFA wins Wisconsin FFA Star Farmer is a Wisconsin Star Farmer. With a passion for the beef industry, Liv developed her SAE around building a registered cattle operation focused on producing high-quality commercial and show cattle. What began as a small project has grown into a herd of 20 head and a successful enterprise centered on genetic improvement, herd performance, and a strong reputation for quality cattle.
Today, Liv manages all aspects of her operation, including breeding decisions, herd health, nutrition, and financial planning. Through hands-on experiences, livestock shows, and visits to other cattle operations, she has developed the skills and knowledge needed to successfully manage and grow her herd. Liv plans to pursue a career as a bovine nutritionist, hoping to help improve efficiency in production agriculture.
Liv’s parents are Gregory and April Lucas. Her advisor is Jillian Lebal.
Stars Over Wisconsin honors students with outstanding Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs). Each student participated in, and kept records of, a personal project that is aimed to broaden their agricultural knowledge and skillset. In Wisconsin, there are four categories for the State FFA Star Degree: Star Farmer, Star In Agribusiness, Star In Agricultural Placement, and Star In Agriscience.
