National FFA Convention & Expo to stay in Indianapolis through 2031
The annual event, which has been held in Indianapolis since 2016, hosts more than 67,000 attendees from across the country.
A Crop With the Potential to Soar
This Alabama member plants an experimental crop that can be converted to jet fuel. Crystal Chandler was looking for a supervised agricultural experience (SAE) project when her FFA advisor at Geraldine High School in Geraldine, Ala., introduced her to carinata (Brassica carinata). The oilseed crop, a nonfood biofuel oil, can be used in jet fuel. The remnants of the carinata seed can be used as a high-protein feed for livestock. The timing was right for Chandler to plant the novel crop. Her parents had just rented 50 acres of farmland with plans to grow row crops. Also, Agrisoma Biosciences Inc., a business focused on sustainable biofuel production, was looking for Alabama farmers to experiment with the oilseed crop. Chandler was eager to take on a major project. “For my first SAE, I grew herbs,” she says. “The second year, I got a little bigger and grew 2 acres of row crops, and I wanted to do something bigger.” In 2017, Chandler planted 50 acres of carinata under contract with Agrisoma. She expected to harvest her first [...]
Q&A with Original FFA Band Member Neil Overly
Concert bands have been a fixture at the National FFA Convention since 1947, when the first official band was selected from FFA member tryouts. But that wasn’t the first band to play at the convention. An FFA band from Fredericktown, Ohio, performed in Kansas City at the fifth convention in 1933. Remarkably, two members of that band are still living – Linden Scheff (pictured above, left) and Neil Overly – and they attended a recent ceremony that recognized Fredericktown as the home of the FFA jacket. Overly, a retired farmer, turned 100 on Nov. 8. Here, he discusses his FFA experience and the years since. New Horizons: What is the background of that 1933 FFA convention band? Neil Overly: I grew up on the family farm and was a pretty good trumpet player, too. When I was 14 and a freshman in high school, the school FFA leader asked me to join FFA and go with them to Kansas City to play in a band he was taking. We rode the Buckeye Stages bus line and stayed overnight in Indianapolis. [...]
Florida Member Eyes A Future in Forestry
Member Hendrix Paterson grows a successful SAE to serve his chapter, school and community.
Agricultural Education Inside the AgroBox
In order to feed a hungry planet, future agriculturists have to think outside the box. For some students, this means working inside the AgroBox.
The Voice Finalist Brennley Brown Sings of Her Country Roots in National FFA Expo
The Voice season 12 finalist, Brennley Brown, meets with FFA members at the Tractor Supply exhibit in the National FFA Expo
