Harlan FFA attends national conference

    INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Nine Harlan FFA members traveled to the National FFA Convention and Expo on October 26-29 in Indianapolis, IN. The members attended several tours and participated in various National FFA Convention activities while on the trip.
    The Harlan FFA members that attended the trip were joined on a charter bus with four other area Iowa FFA chapters, Audubon, Riverside, Boyer Valley and Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton.
    On Tuesday, October 26, 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 was lead on a full factory tour to see how the planters and grain carts are made at the facility.
    While in the Indianapolis area on Wednesday, October 27, the bus took agricultural tours at Umbarger Show Feeds and Beasley’s Orchard. The tour of Umbarger Show Feeds consisted of seeing the new state of the art feed mill facilities.
    This facility is one of the largest feed mills in North America and they specifically focus on show livestock feed.
    Members were able to see the entire process from delivery of the raw products, mixing of the feed, bagging and distribution. Beasley’s Orchard consisted of a hayrack ride to see the crops and pick pumpkins. Members also heard from the young entrepreneur that owns and manages the business.
    He discussed the changing agriculture industry and how he has adapted to these changes. The evening activities consisted of attending the Opening Ceremonies in Lucas Oil Stadium and World’s Toughest Rodeo at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
    The Opening Ceremonies featured keynote speaker Courtenay DeHoff, TV host and speaker. Her message was well received and relatable to many FFA members.
    On Thursday, October 28, members traveled to downtown Indianapolis to attend the career show, expo and leadership workshops. The leadership workshops varied by topic and are hosted by the National FFA Organization officers and industry leaders.
    The career show consisted of over 400 colleges, universities, and agricultural businesses. In the afternoon, members took a tour at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and explored the museum. Members were taken on a bus around the track and got to “kiss the bricks” on the world-famous finish line.
    While traveling back to Iowa, the bus made a stop at Fair Oaks Farms in Illinois. Members were able to tour their state-of-the-art dairy and hog operation facilities.
     Nearly 65,000 FFA members and guests from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands attended the convention over the few days.
    The convention is one of the largest national student conventions held annually. National FFA Organization membership has also reached a record high with more than 735,000 members from 8,817 chapters.