Indianapolis (September 10, 2024) – From September 10-14, the National FFA Organization will be hosting its Next Gen Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Next Gen Conferences prepare high school sophomores, juniors and seniors for the more than 350 careers in agriculture and help fill the talent pipeline. The topic of the conference is “Environmental Services and Natural Resources” and high school students and FFA members from across the country will learn through informational sessions, panels and tours.

Tour locations in Salt Lake City during the conference include:

• Antelope Island
• Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper Mine

The National FFA Organization recently announced its record-breaking milestone of having more than one million FFA members: 1,027,273. Utah was the top state for percent of membership growth compared to last year.

“It’s exciting to know that this Next Gen Conference will take place in a state that has grown so much in membership this past year,” said Ashli Weinrich, Program Specialist, Advocacy, Literacy, and Ag-Based Experiences, National FFA Organization. “With the conference topic being ‘environmental service and natural resources,’ it’ll be great to see the students learn about and gain awareness around careers that affect our air, soil and water.”

FFA, a nationally-recognized school-based student leadership development organization, prides itself on providing year-round educational opportunities like the Next Gen Conferences, which occur three times this year, to prepare our next generation of leaders through educational opportunities that highlight different career pathways.

For the September conference, these 75 high school students were selected through a competitive application process:

Alabama
Olidia Berrera, Crenshaw County FFA
Sandra Hall, Crenshaw County FFA
Paige Daniel, Crenshaw County FFA
Anna Foster, Crenshaw County FFA
Abigail Fergusen, Fort Payne FFA
Arizona
Owen Smorong, Buckeye Union FFA
Autumn Shanahan, Desert Edge FFA
California
Holly Speake, San Luis Obispo FFA
Arwen Adams, Susanville FFA
Delaware
Brody Masten, Smyrna High School FFA
Desiree Taylor, Smyrna High School FFA
Florida
Coral Stevenson, Oakleaf High School FFA
Alynza McBride, South Sumter Senior FFA
Brylee Wood, Oakleaf High School FFA
Madison Hope, West Nassau High School FFA
Aiden Kile, Oakleaf High School FFA
Illinois
Greyson Applebee, Maroa-Forsyth FFA
Toby Williams, Stark County FFA
Garrett Bruecks, Stark County FFA
Indiana
Logan McConnell, Greenfield Central FFA
Leah Manley-George, Fishers FFA
Louis Allyn, Mount Vernon FFA
Iowa
Easton Richards, Nashua Plainfield FFA
Sophie Berends, Aplington-Parkersburg FFA
Chase Sorenson, Forest City FFA
Parker Messerich, Northeast FFA
Alaina White, Central DeWitt FFA
Aidan Yaddof, Calamus-Wheatland FFA
Kansas
Makayla Smith, Junction City FFA
Landen Larson, Arkansas City FFA
Kentucky
Charlee Benton, Madison Southern FFA
Madison Young, Johnson Central FFA
Benjamin Bratcher, Butler County FFA
Christian Ashby, Nelson County Schools FFA
Riley Hall, Nelson County Schools FFA
Warren Zabenco, Nelson County Schools FFA
Owen Kelley, Nelson County Schools FFA
Louisiana
Jamira Guillory, Westlake FFA
Michigan
Karlie Goble, Marshall FFA
Lily McNabb, Laker FFA
Sterling Tomac, Chesaning FFA
Noah Smith, Laker FFA
Sydney Pawlowski, Harbor Beach FFA
Minnesota
Tessa Weber, Crookston FFA
Ellie Swart, Howard-Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA
Leya Anderson, Menahga FFA
Chloe Kieser, Howard-Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA
Missouri
Aiden Long, Neosho FFA
Landon Pottebaum, Montgomery County R-II FFA
Caroline Stallman, Glasgow FFA
Montana
Joel Standley, Missoula FFA
New York
Gabrielle Downey, Carthage FFA
North Carolina
Laiken Wilcox, Lumberton FFA
Claire Fields, Asheboro Zoo FFA
Madisyn Russell, Perquimans FFA
Oklahoma
Kane Mcculah, Adair FFA
Oregon
Robert Harris, Banks FFA
Pennsylvania
Elizabeth Eckenrode, Big Spring FFA
South Carolina
Elizabeth Viseth, SC’s Governor’s School for Agriculture FFA
South Dakota
Peyton Roskens, Bridgewater-Emery FFA
Tennessee
Maddie Shackelton, Lebanon FFA
Olivia See, Lebanon FFA
Isabelle Harville, Lebanon FFA
Caroline Garrell, Lincoln County High School FFA
Texas
Katie Turner, Llano FFA
Utah
Vannesa Vos, Granite Mountain FFA
Jacob Jensen, Granite Mountain FFA
Washington
Dane Booth, Oakesdale FFA
Wisconsin
Vanessa Paquette, Mishicot FFA
Tessa Kamien, Mishicot FFA
Owen Moore, Mishicot FFA
Alexa Heikamp, Bangor FFA
Riddik Weber, Bay Port FFA
Cecilia Rose, Bay Port FFA
Jozlyn Stuczynski, Amherst FFA

Level 1 Corporate Partners of FFA’s Next Gen Conferences are Cargill, Domino’s, General Mills, Wal-Mart, New Holland and Nestle. To learn more about the National FFA Organization, visit www.ffa.org, and to learn more about the Next Gen Conference, visit www.ffa.org/participate/next-generation-conference.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,027,200 student members as part of 9,235 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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About National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 1,027,200 student members as part of 9,235 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at FFA.org and on Facebook and Twitter.

About National FFA Foundation
The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, other foundations, and individuals to secure financial resources that recognize FFA member achievements, develop student leaders, and support the future of agricultural education. Governed by a 19-member board of trustees composed of educators, business leaders, individual donors and FFA Alumni, the foundation is a separately registered nonprofit organization. About 82 percent of every dollar received by the foundation supports FFA members and agricultural education opportunities. For more, visit FFA.org/Give.