Anyone who has not been to the National FFA convention has no idea of the size and scope of the event. You read of 50,000 Blue and Gold FFA jackets all in one place but, until you experience it first hand, you really don’t have a clue.

It is like the ant scene in the latest Indiana Jones movie. Now, admittedly, this is not the most favorable analogy, but it is what came to mind as I was walking west on FFA Way and seemingly all 50,000 FFA members were walking east.

Actually, it was not all 50,000 because at least half that number was still in the Career Show, which is where I was headed. The Career Show is designed to give FFA members a chance to be exposed to the career opportunities in agribusiness as well as a chance to meet with colleges who are seeking top students. It is large, loud, and a great place to people-watch.

The first thing you notice when entering the show is the size. As far as the eye can see in the cavernous exhibit hall are exhibits: large and small. The second thing you notice is the noise. Each one of those thousands of exhibits is exhaling sound, several decibels above that of a jet engine.

This mixture of music, mechanical noise and human speech blends into a cacophony that quickly overwhelms the senses. What is even more amazing is that none of the 25,000 or so young people jammed into the aisles are bothered by this and are able to hold regular conversations.

Normal conversation may be a bit of a stretch, remember these are mainly teenagers. Most of the conversations I was able to hear were comprised of “Oh my god,” “Hey dude,” “Hey check her out,” “Did you see that guy?” “Where are you?” “Aaaaaah yup,” and “Where did you get that?”

This last one I heard a lot because almost every exhibitor was giving away something and the “really cool stuff” was what everyone was after. This is what really impressed me about the show, the marketing genius of American business when it comes to branding their products to young people.

All the major truck manufacturers were there with gleaming new trucks, the dream of any country boy. These displays usually had country music playing loudly. The Ford exhibit had games for the young ladies to play while the guys were drooling over the trucks. The Dodge display had a make believe campfire with bean bag rock chairs for some simulated outdoor relaxing. Toyota had a truck perched about 6 feet in the air with horrific noise coming from it. A sign read “Tundra Thunder.” I did not stick around long enough to find out what this was all about.

Another display had the game you normally see at the midway, the one you use a large heavy hammer to propel a steel ball up a pole to ring a bell at the top. As I watched, several young men swung the hammer but did not ring the bell. Then a young lady in skirt and heels grasped the hammer and sent the ball flying to the top. The back of her FFA jacket said Texas. Yes, those Texas gals are something.

The grand prize, however, goes to the U.S. Army. They had army equipment around which always attracts guys and young solders in camo which always attracts girls.

In addition, they were giving away an iPod every hour (yes, our tax dollars at work). The iPods went to those who could do the most pushups. As I watched, dozens of young men whipped off those Blue and Gold jackets to try their luck. The record while I was there was 130. My final stop was the FFA Shopping Mall. Located at the back of the hall, this area contained every kind of temptation that a FFA member could want. Any item that the letters FFA could be put on was for sale.

There were also enough t-shirts to clothe the entire population of China. And, on those t-shirts are printed a galaxy of quirky, silly, profound and sometimes just plain strange sayings. If by some remote chance you can not find just the right shirt with just the right thing silk-screened onto it, there is a booth that will make custom shirts for you.

In addition, there’re cowboy hats and mountains of western wear including a large variety of boots. Speaking of footwear, I saw more than a few young ladies who had had it with heels on concrete and were wandering the show barefoot.

I am not sure what the FFA members learned at the Career Show; but what I learned was that, despite our current economic slowdown, the U.S. economy is strong.

The next generation is well-acclimated to materialism and not afraid of using credit. In fact, the only sign of a credit crisis I saw at the Career Show or the Circle Center Mall next door was the crisis that occurred when someone’s credit card was maxed out.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.