Vern Hawkins’ FFA roots run deep. Prior to serving as Syngenta’s Crop Protection president and North American region director, Hawkins was a member of the North Miami FFA Chapter in Denver, Ind.
Driven by a desire to pay it forward, Hawkins hosted a meet and greet at the 94th National FFA Convention & Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, with members of his home chapter. After a brief presentation, Hawkins welcomed a Q&A session with members.
“It’s humbling and inspiring at the same time,” said chapter advisor Jim Wildermuth. “We’re from a very small, rural school. To see somebody [like Hawkins] who has been so successful – and his parents still send him local newspaper clippings about our chapter – that’s very encouraging.”
Hawkins supports North Miami FFA through the Syngenta Blue Jacket program. As part of the program, Syngenta awards an official jacket to a chapter or member and matches funding from participating retailers.
“It blossomed into something that became a cool experience for a lot of people who want to give back,” Hawkins said. “We continue to utilize that vehicle as a way for the chapter to decide who can benefit the most from that gift.”
Although he has seen the North Miami FFA program progress over the years, Hawkins said the main motivation for hosting the meet and greet was to strengthen his hometown connections and see the impacts of his donations firsthand.
“Many of our company employees and leaders have a positive experience with FFA, so the brand within the company is super strong,” Hawkins said. “We see how impressive these young people are and it gives us confidence about the future of agriculture. That’s why we continue to do it – because we can be helpful in inspiring FFA members about opportunities in agriculture, and they inspire us with their enthusiasm and commitment.”
For some North Miami FFA members, Hawkins’ efforts don’t go unnoticed.
“It’s really cool that he still thinks about his hometown, comes home and cares to meet with us,” said chapter secretary Abby Richardson.
“We feel seen,” added chapter vice president Alaina Weaver. “We’re from a really small school, so the fact that the president of a big company is from our school and supports us means a lot.”
Syngenta is serving as a sponsor of this year’s 94th National FFA Convention & Expo. Hawkins said FFA members can interact with Syngenta at its expo booth and in the FFA Blue Room.
“We want to help members get connected, access information and engage with them. We’re looking for ways to help them understand some of the tools we offer to farmers and partners, which members can access to learn a little bit more about what we do, and how they can help us support sustainability at the farm level.”
