The Indiana FFA State Officers are again gearing up for the annual Indiana FFA Convention held at Purdue University in West Lafayette.  This year’s convention will be June 15-18 and will host nearly 3,500 people in Purdue’s Elliot Hall of Music.   

“Go All Out” will serve as the theme for the annual convention, and Farm Credit Mid-America will serve as the title sponsor.  During the opening celebration, each Indiana FFA State Officer will share what the theme means to them personally.  

Indiana FFA State President Brittany Young is leading a service project that will take place during the convention.  A record number of 248 FFA students will be packing meals for hunger organizations like “Thrive 360” and “Food Finders.”

Jacob Mueller, Indiana FFA State Vice President, also is presenting a special reflection ceremony on Tuesday night.  These reflective speeches are given by past Indiana FFA state officers who feel the impact of FFA.  

The convention will provide two exceptional keynote speakers – former Miss America and Indiana farm girl Katie Stam Irk and National FFA Western Region Vice President Caleb Gustin, who is from New Mexico. 

For the first time, Indiana FFA will be live tweeting and updating Instagram and Facebook between sessions.  Social media has become one of the easiest ways to connect with audiences big and small, says Lindsey O’Hara, Indiana FFA Northern Region Vice President. “The officers’ use of social media will not only engage the FFA members, but also the entire agriculture community.”

To follow along with State FFA Officers and the buzz on social media, watch for the hashtags #GoAllOut #goINFFA and #86INFFAConv

Joe Martin, Indiana FFA Program Specialist, works with the Indiana FFA State Officers on a day-to-day basis. 

“The State Officers have put a lot of time and planning into this convention, especially the video, graphics and even some pyrotechnics (fireworks). This convention will be rewarding for all the FFA members involved.”

Indiana FFA State Officers defer a year of college to spend 365 days serving as advocates for agriculture. These seven Indiana FFA officers live in Trafalgar, Ind., at the FFA Leadership Center and travel all over the state to speak to FFA chapters, business and industry leaders.  As their year of service comes to a close and soon a new team of seven will take their places, the officers described these last few weeks as “bittersweet.”  

“After meeting so many FFA members throughout the year, it’s exciting to know that convention is a time for all the members to come together and celebrate another successful year,” Indiana FFA State Sentinel Derek Berkshire shared.  

All seven of the 2014-2015 retiring FFA State Officers have great potential as they leap forward into the next chapters of their lives.  After spending a year learning leadership and agriculture, these impressive young adults are pursuing careers that will continue to impact the future generations of agriculture.  State President Brittany Young will major in agriculture education and communications at Ivy Tech.  Secretary Skylar Clingan will study animal science and agriculture education at Purdue University.  Lindsey O’Hara, Northern Region Vice President, will study at Western Illinois University focusing on agriculture education.  Southern Region Vice President Jacob Mueller will attend Miami University of Ohio to major in finance. Dakota Westphal, Reporter, will attend Purdue University majoring in agronomy and business.  State Sentinel Derek Berkshire will major in agribusiness and communications at Purdue University.  Kathleen Jacobs, State Treasurer, will major in agriculture economics at Purdue University.  

There is much to celebrate at this year’s State Convention.  Indiana FFA membership levels have reached a record high, with more than 11,000 FFA members across the state. Top teams and individuals will compete in the state Career Development Events (CDEs).  The top honor in Indiana, the Hoosier FFA Degree, will be awarded to 375 FFA members.  Winners in the State Star categories will be announced, as will the winners in each Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) proficiency divisions. Finally, seven new Indiana FFA State Officers will be elected from a pool of 25 worthy candidates.  

The 2014-2015 State Officers said it best when they said, “be ready to GO ALL OUT at this year’s Indiana FFA Convention!”       

Casie Conley is an IUPUI student from Knightstown, Ind., who was Indiana FFA State President during 2011-12. She also works for Indiana Farm Bureau and writes for Farm World.