Next Gen Conferences

A selection committee scores all applications using a rubric to ensure that they are scored equally. All personal information is removed from the application, and the evaluators only consider the judging criteria outlined by the scoring rubric. You can find the scoring rubric here.

Currently, there is no stipulation on the number of conferences you can attend. Please note that the curriculum (Learnbook) is extremely similar at each conference. The experiences, such as tours, companies and networking opportunities, are specific to the career pathway.

A chaperone is not needed for this conference. Next Gen Conference staff and National FFA will reside in the hotel and accompany participants throughout the week’s workshops and tours. Room checks are also conducted by Next Gen Conference staff every evening.

While a chaperone is not needed, advisors and chaperones can request to attend the conference if their school districts require it. There will be an adult registration fee to cover lodging, meals, tours, etc. This registration fee is $300 for a double occupancy room and $600 for a single occupancy room. Additionally, our priority is on the experience of the student participants. The advisor schedule will come later and depend on how many advisors request to attend.

To guarantee you can book a flight at the appropriate times in and out of the host city, you should book your flight as soon as you are notified that you have been accepted to attend the conference. Please DO NOT wait until a month or less before the conference to book your flight.

Yes! The Student Engagement Platform developed in the National FFA Strategic Plan provides grants to support members in achieving premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through National FFA programs and events.

Grants will be distributed at the amounts listed below to reduce the cost of travel to the Next Gen Conferences.

Ground Transportation: $300
Flying: $600

To learn more about the Next Gen Student Engagement Grants, click here.

No, just let National FFA staff know you will need to stay an extra night, either on the front end or back end of the conference and we will book the extra nights for you. We will need to know the names of all who are staying and the dates of the extra nights. This will help you receive the room rate we have negotiated for the conference and will most likely allow you to stay in the same room the entire week instead of having to change rooms for the extra night. You will be responsible for paying the hotel directly for the extra night.

National FFA will not provide transportation to and from the airport in the host city. The participants will be responsible for acquiring transportation to and from the airport. National FFA will try to select hotels that provide a shuttle service to the airport but cannot guarantee that the hotel will provide those services. National FFA will provide all transportation for tours and other events during the conference.

Below is the cancellation policy you must agree to upon registering to participate in the conference.

*Cancellation Policy – Cancellation between 31 and 60 days before the conference (including the 31st and 60th day) will result in a cancellation fee of 50 percent of the conference’s costs (including but not limited to ground transportation, hotel accommodations and supplies) unless the National FFA Organization names a substitute participant. Cancellation within 30 days before the conference (including the 30th day) will result in the entire conference cost being charged. Note: All cancellations must be received at the National FFA Organization in written form. The date this written notification is received will determine the cancellation date. The participant’s responsible for ensuring the cancellation note has been received by National FFA staff.

Students will develop a Road Map for Your Future. This will be a blueprint to guide them in taking their next steps after high school graduation.

For Agricultural Education and Emerging Technologies, contact Ashli Weinrich, aweinrich@ffa.org, 317-802-4259, or Joe Martin, jlmartin@ffa.org, 317-802-4219.

For Plant Systems, contact Joe Martin, jlmartin@ffa.org, 317-802-4219.

Next Gen: Plant Systems – March 4-8*, 2025, in Orlando, Florida
Next Gen: Agricultural Education – June 24-28*, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Next Gen: Emerging Technologies – Sept. 9-13*, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota
*Conference concludes on Friday, last day listed is a travel day.

The National FFA Organization covers lodging, meals and other expenses during the conference through the generosity of our corporate partners.

Selected participants will pay a $150 registration fee and be expected to cover their travel to and from the conference.

• Candidates must be current FFA members.
• Candidates must be high school students at least 15 years old during the conference.
• This conference is intended for sophomores, juniors or seniors in high school at the time of application. (For the conference taking place in September, it will be grade level at time of the conference.)
• Candidates must desire to learn about and experience the designated career pathway.
• Candidates must demonstrate the intention to attend college or be career-ready through work
  experience, training or other activities connected to a career in the designated career pathway.

Visit the Next Gen webpage to apply for the conference. All applications will open on August 15, 2024.

The closing dates for the conferences are:

• Plant Systems – Oct. 15, 2024
• Agricultural Education – March 15, 2025
• Emerging Technologies – May 15, 2025

Be prepared to answer/provide the following:

• Applicant’s Personal Information
  • name, date of birth, email, mobile phone number, address, Polo size and gender ID for hotel rooms.)
• Educational information
  • grade level, FFA chapter and ID, FFA member ID, years of membership, plans after high school and which career pathway describes the career you wish to pursue.
• FFA advisor first and last name, email and phone number.
• Documents and Essay Questions
  • Why do you want to attend the Next Gen Conference?
  • What have you experienced, inside or outside of the classroom, that has led you to an interest in this particular career pathway?
  • What trends, issues, or topics in this career pathway are you interested in learning more about?
  • What do you expect to gain from this conference and how will you use it in the future?
  • Why should you be selected to participate in this conference?
  • Resume (PDF, Word doc or docx). Don’t have one? Check out the FFA Resume Generator.

All applicants will be notified of the status of their application no later than 45 days after the application closes. All communication regarding the selection process will come from Ashli Weinrich (aweinrich@ffa.org) for Agricultural Education and Emerging Technologies and Joe Martin (jlmartin@ffa.org) for Plant Systems. The primary mode of communication will be email.