The 93rd annual Indiana FFA State Convention is underway as members from across the state converge in Indianapolis.
“The blue jacket is probably the snazziest thing you can wear,” says Kourtney Otte, president of Indiana FFA, referring to the blue corduroy jackets that many young men and women will be wearing during the convention at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
“We are going to have hundreds upon hundreds of members here celebrating them and their achievements and recognizing all the hard work that goes into an entire year as an FFA member,” says Kourtney. “Our entire team is so thrilled to be back here at the State Fairgrounds.”
The theme of this year’s convention is “Pulse.”
“We want to feel adrenaline. We want to feel excited. We want to really feel the pulse of who we are as FFA members and bring all of that to the [State] Fairgrounds to get people hyped,” says Kourtney. “We’re excited to be that team that kind of hypes everyone back up and gets them super excited and to really feel that adrenaline [as part of] the journey and the change that has come throughout this year.”
The state convention is also a chance to honor Indiana FFA members and advisors as the organization gives out four State Star Awards which recognizes FFA members who have excelled in the Supervised Agricultural Experience Programs. Members compete in one of four different Star Award Areas: Agribusiness, Agriscience, Farmer, and Placement.
In addition, the Indiana FFA will recognize Hoosier Degrees that document the FFA members who have achieved success at a high level in their Supervised Agriculture Experience program, leadership development, and community service.
Kourtney said the state convention is a chance to show off Indiana FFA’s efforts this past year of living out its motto of “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live and Living to Serve.”
“We’ve been on 24/7 doing work everywhere we can. This would not be possible without those [FFA] members, without people wearing a blue jacket [or] without people continually spreading the word of agriculture
Click HERE to listen to C.J. Miller’s radio news report with Indiana FFA president Kourtney Otte and how the 93rd annual Indiana FFA State Convention is recognizing a year’s worth of service.
Click BELOW to watch Hoosier Ag Today’s C.J. Miller chat with Indiana FFA State Officers Kourtney Otte, Nicholas Neuman, Abby Stuckwisch and Jordyn Wickard as they discuss the awards and celebrations that are part of the 93rd annual Indiana FFA State Convention.