FFA members attend National Convention and Expo

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Ten Harlan FFA members traveled to the National FFA Convention and Expo on October 22-25 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The members attended several tours and participated in various National FFA Convention activities while on the trip. The Harlan FFA members attending the trip were joined on a charter bus with four other area Iowa FFA chapters: Audubon, Riverside, Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton, and ACGC.
Tuesday, October 22nd, the group traveled to Indianapolis, stopping in Williamsburg, Iowa for a tour of the Kinze Manufacturing Plant. The group got to explore the innovation center and were led on a full factory tour to see how the planters and grain carts are made at the facility. The group also stopped in Cabery, Illinois to tour Hummel Livestock which focuses on the breeding and production of meat goats, Savannah Cats, and Argentine-Based Angus Cattle.
While in the Indianapolis area on Wednesday, October 23rd, the bus took agricultural tours at Ozark Fisheries, Montrose Alpaca Farm, and Oinking Acres Farm Rescue and Sanctuary. Ozark Fisheries is a fourth-generation family owned and operated ornamental goldfish and koi farm. Members visited the hatchery, production, and shipping facilities. This was a hands-on experience where students learned about fish management, biology, and natural resources management. Montrose Alpaca Farm is home to around thirty alpacas that are used for fleece production. Oinking Acres Farm Rescue and Sanctuary is a non-profit organization established to “rescue, rehabilitate, rehome, and advocate for abandoned, neglected, abused, and unwanted pot-bellied pigs and other farm animals in our community.” Since opening in 2017, they have rescued over 500 pot-bellied pigs. Members were able to tour the rescue and interact with all the animals.  
In the evening, FFA members attended the Opening Session of the 97th National FFA Convention at Lucas Oil Stadium. While at the session, members heard reflections from National FFA Officers, music from the National FFA Band and Chorus, and from keynote speaker, Kevin Wanzer. Following the Opening Session, the group attended the Megan Moroney and Nate Smith concert sponsored by Culvers. The concert was only open for attendance by the National FFA Convention attendees.
Thursday, October 24, was spent by all members in downtown Indianapolis attending the National FFA Convention Career Show and Expo and leadership workshops of their choice. The expo hosted over 400 different agricultural companies and colleges from across the country. In the evening the group was able to enjoy an outing to Indy Scream Park.
Close to 75,000 FFA members and guests from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands attended the convention over the few days, making this a record year for attendance. The convention is the largest national student convention held annually. The National FFA Organization membership has also reached a record high, topping 1 million members.