By DOUG SCHMITZ

Iowa Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Nearly 70,000 FFA members from across the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, will crowd Indianapolis to attend the 92nd National FFA Convention & Expo from Oct. 30- Nov. 2.

“This year is an exciting milestone for us, as we are celebrating 50 years of women in FFA,” said Kristy Meyer, National FFA Organization communications manager. “This will be celebrated during the opening general session.”

With an estimated $33 million impact on the city, Meyer said attendees will be seen throughout the city, staying at more than 115 hotels in the area, as well as doing good through National Days of Service.

“Once again, we will host the National Days of Service on Thursday and Friday – an opportunity for our members to give back to the community. This year, they will be able to participate at 17 different locations.

“In fact, during the week, more than 2,500 student members will be lending a helping hand to the greater Indianapolis area as part of the National Days of Service,” she noted. “Places where students will be giving back to the community include Gleaners Food Bank, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Indianapolis City Market, the Wheeler Mission, and more.”

Moreover, she said FFA continues to introduce students to innovation and new experiences, “and nowhere is this more evident than in the FFA Blue Room.”

Presented by AgriNovus and Microsoft, the Blue Room is a 17,000 square-foot interactive experience centered on sustainability, innovation, efficiency, and solving the production crisis of feeding an estimated 9-plus billion people worldwide by 2050.

“It’s an opportunity for our students to experience the convergence of agriculture, technology, human health, and engineering during the FFA Blue Room sessions at the convention,” Meyer said. “We will have top influencers speaking in the FFA Blue Room on our Blue Stage.”

Some of the convention’s speakers include Ranveer Chandra of Microsoft, Dan Halliday of CNH Industrial, SriRaj Kantamneni of Cargill, and James Bridenstine of NASA.

She said students will also have the opportunity to visit “Startup Street” in the Blue Room, where entrepreneurs will share with them their innovative ideas.

“Through experiential learning and specific focus on the most critical challenges facing our communities – from respecting the planet to feeding the world – the FFA Blue Room will inspire and equip students to activate their potential,” Meyer explained.

Convention and Expo events will take place at several venues in downtown Indianapolis and other surrounding areas. Moving from Bankers Life Fieldhouse to Lucas Oil Stadium this year, FFA members and advisors will meet in the stadium where the eight general sessions will be held.

“Moving the general sessions to Lucas Oil Stadium allows us to have the ability to have more room for the attendees, as well as more room to grow,” Meyer said. “This year, for example, we will be able to have two general opening sessions instead of three.

“It also helps with our flow of convention traffic, with the Convention Center and Lucas Oil being in close proximity. We will, however, still use Bankers Life Fieldhouse, as our two concerts will be there on Wednesday and Thursday evening.”

Old Dominion, with special guest Brandon Lay, will perform Oct. 30 and Brett Young, with special guest Tenille Townes, will perform Oct. 31, both at the Fieldhouse.

At the Indiana Convention Center, members can explore the Expo or expand their minds by attending a variety of workshops or participating in educational and career success tours. Bob Goff will speak during Opening Session 1A on Oct. 30 at 3:30 p.m. and Opening Session 1B on Oct. 31 at 8 a.m. Tickets for each are available through convention registration.

On the morning of Nov. 2, American FFA Degrees – the highest degree for an FFA member – will be bestowed on a record 4,353 people. The convention concludes that afternoon with the election of the 2019-20 National FFA officers team.

For FFA students who aren’t able to attend the convention, real-time news and information will be available, including news, features, sights, and sounds, published on FFA.org and Facebook, Twitter (#FFA19), and Instagram. In addition, watch live gavel-to-gavel coverage on RFD-TV.

As of last month, the FFA announced a record-high student membership of 700,170, up from 669,989 in 2018. The top six student membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Missouri.

This year, the organization has more than 100,000 Latino members, and 45 percent of the membership is female. Women hold more than 50 percent of the leadership positions, and FFA chapters are in 24 of the 25 largest U.S. cities.

“The FFA is providing future leaders, and our membership growth reflects continued enthusiasm for agriculture, as well as agricultural education,” said Mark Poeschl, National FFA CEO. “The FFA prepares our student members for careers in agriculture, while working to ensure the security of our country’s food, fiber, and natural resources systems for years to come.

“Through real-world experiences, agriculture educators are helping students develop the technical knowledge, skills, and problem-solving capabilities to be the industry’s leaders of tomorrow.”

The National FFA Convention & Expo is scheduled in Indianapolis annually through 2031. For a full schedule of speakers and other convention activities this year, visit https://convention.ffa.org/event-directory/the-blue-room/#speakers

2018-219 NATIONAL FFA OFFICERS are, in front, President Luke O’Leary and Secretary Layni LeBlanc; and in back, Southern Region Vice President Jordan Stowe, Central Region VP Ridge Hughbanks, Western Region VP Shea Booster, and Eastern Region VP Adrian Schunk.

(Courtesy of National FFA Organization)