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The 95th National FFA Convention and Expo kicks off today
Tens of thousands of blue and gold jackets are in Indianapolis this week for the 95th National FFA Convention and Expo.
Cole Baerlocher is the 2021-2022 National FFA President.
“There are about 65,000 students who are pre-registered for convention,” he says. “That is a milestone, a record breaker and so to be back in Indianapolis and see the streets flooded with blue corduroy jackets makes me so excited and energized. I’m most excited to see our membership and know that they’ll have an incredible time at the convention this year.”
Audio: Cole Baerlocher
National FFA CEO Scott Stump says everything is falling into place for one of the organization’s largest conventions.
“We’re so excited that students and teachers are ready to come to the National FFA Convention and Expo, get renewed, and really chart that course for the future as we emerge from the pandemic,” he says.
Audio: Scott Stump
Bruce Kettler, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, says it also allows members to explore different career paths in agriculture.
“I think the opportunity for young people now in this great industry is phenomenal and this will be a week where a lot of them will have their eyes opened up to some of the opportunities that are available—things that they may not have even thought about,” he says. “They might spend time at the expo and realize there are career opportunities that they didn’t know about. They might listen to a speaker or see someone receiving an award on the stage and get inspired to push themselves even further than they might think is possible for themselves. The National FFA Convention and Expo provides the opportunity for students to spend time thinking about their future and what that looks like.”
Kettler previously served as the Ohio FFA President and National FFA Eastern Region Vice President.
He says, “There are so many things I learned from being involved in FFA. I think it starts with teamwork and being able to understand the importance of getting perspectives from everyone involved. And then the experiences of being an officer really opened my eyes to what this industry has outside of my little bubble where I grew up. Being able to experience that across the entire United States and even spending some time as a national officer in Japan, I started to realize the global nature of what this industry is about and how important it is for so many people around the world.”
Kettler encourages students, FFA advisors, and parents to get the most out of the convention.
“I would even say that parents and supporters should ask FFA members who attend the convention what they learned or what they were surprised about and find a way to encourage them,” he says. “There are a lot of dreams that are put in place at national convention, and we want to make sure we encourage that when they get back home.”
Audio: Bruce Kettler
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett says the city feels uplifted when FFA members are in town.
“Indianapolis is a good host city, but there is no question when the National FFA Convention and Expo comes to town it makes all the other big events we host look small in size and scope and that’s why it has meant so much to our city over the course of the last several years and will continue for a decade or more,” he says. “We always feel uplifted when FFA is in town, and frankly, of all the conventions, I think they’re one of the only big conventions that we host that gives back to Indianapolis by way of National Day of Service. The projects that they work on are helpful and transformative for our city.”
Audio: Joe Hogsett
The National FFA Convention and Expo is Oct. 26-29.
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of nearly 9,000 local FFA chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
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