TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois FFA has a new Star Farmer for 2025 from the Taylorville FFA Chapter.

Kade Beckmier farms just southwest of Taylorville, and he was introduced as the new FFA Star Farmer in Springfield a couple weeks ago. He’s been around sheep since he was old enough to walk, and he started showing them when he was about four years old.

Beckmier said this is his passion and he’s the sixth generation to live in the area, and that they’ve been raising sheep in Central Illinois for about five generations. He has also written a forage book that talks about the five-acre field he has behind the barn on his property.

“It is an incredibly huge honor, especially in the state of Illinois where Ag is extremely competitive and it’s very hard to win things, even section, chapter sometimes,” Beckmier said. “It’s incredibly awesome to win state and area star farmer.”