Carissa Stong of Nevada FFA won Grand Champion in the 4-H and FFA Meat Rabbits contest at the Missouri State Fair for the third time, as her pen of New Zealand rabbits earned top marks at this year’s contest, held Aug. 13, 2025 in Sedalia. (Photo by Kyle Hill, KMMO News)

A Nevada FFA member has won grand champion in the 4-H and FFA meat rabbits contest at the Missouri State Fair for the third time.

Carissa Stong repeat as grand champion Wednesday, Aug. 13, besting 30 other pens in the FFA division and 40 from the 4-H division to earn the third honor. She says the competition was tougher, even amongst her own pen of New Zealand rabbits.

Kaela Britton of Atlanta, representing the Randolph County 4-H Club, won reserve grand champion with her pen of California rabbits at the Missouri State Fair’s 4-H and FFA Meat Rabbit contest Aug. 13, 2025. (Photo by Kyle Hill, KMMO News)

Stong won her first grand champion ribbon in the contest in 2021. That was also the year that Kaela Britton won reserve champion. The Randolph County 4-H Club member will again join Stong at Saturday’s sale, as her pen of Californian rabbits won the 4-H division and reserve overall.

The reserve FFA division pen was exhibited by Hadley Coats of Braymer, while Lane Gerdeman of Warren County has the reserve 4-H division pen. The Sale of Champions will take place Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. in the Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall. We’ll have coverage of the sale on our website, KMMO.com.