La Salle-Peru’s agriculture program earned gold chapter status and ranked first in its section in its inaugural year, positioning it among Illinois’s top FFA chapters.

The distinction means two L-P students will travel to Washington D.C. next summer on an all-expenses-paid trip to study agricultural history — a rare honor for a first-year program.

Each year, roughly 400 agriculture programs and Future Farmers of America chapters across Illinois implement the National FFA Organization’s mission through five quality standards: growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture.

To earn recognition, programs must complete 15 activities — one from each quality standard — and submit them for scoring based on members’ goals, results, influence on young leaders, and overall impact.

“Over the course of the last year, the L-P FFA Officer Team and its members have not only planned out these 15 activities and events but also implemented them with the help of our school, community, and supporters,” L-P Agriculture Instructor Riley Hintzsche said.

The L-P program ranked first among all 25 sections in Illinois and earned gold chapter status — the highest FFA distinction. The program also won section awards in all three divisions: growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture.

Final state rankings will be announced in June at the 2026 State FFA Convention.