Earlier this fall, the Logan County FFA chapter had the opportunity to attend the 90th Annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. Twenty-six members and officers were able to attend.
These members had the opportunity to experience the FFA Career Show, which featured colleges from across the country along with companies promoting agriculture awareness and knowledge in their interactive displays.
The theme of “I Can, We Will” was showcased throughout the week.
Everyone also got to see Rascal Flatts and Runaway June perform live in concert on Oct. 25.
The next day we took a tour of Fair Oaks Farms, in Fair Oakes, one of the largest dairy productions in Indiana, with over 30,000 Holstein dairy cows. We witnessed a calf being born and the dairy production carousel lines where the cows are milked. These cows have a rolling head average of 85 pounds per cow. We also toured the pig exhibits, which showed among other things, piglets that had recently been born. This facility houses 2,700 sows.
We were able to attend the first session that featured Muhammad Ali’s daughter, Laila Ali, as guest speaker. Others also spoke about the future of agriculture and how FFA members will play a role in the future of their community.
On Thursday night, we celebrated the senior officers this year and bonded as a chapter with dinner out and laser tag. On Friday, the senior officer team attended a workshop about biotechnology and GMOs and how to advocate for agriculture. We then attended a tour of Churchill Downs in Louisville. A tour was given of the race track and a video was shown of the history of horse racing.
At the convention, members learned a great deal about agriculture and as a chapter we worked on our team building skills. We all had a great time and look forward to going again next year.
The members who attended the convention brought back to the chapter the message of “I Can” and together we will make a difference in agriculture and our community.