INDIANAPOLIS–Agriculture and its many components and agriculture education are being celebrated in Indianapolis this week. The 94th Annual FFA Convention and Expo is being held in-person in downtown Indianapolis, after being held virtually last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic pushed last year’s convention online, so Indy rolled out the red carpet for the start of this year’s gathering. Governor Holcomb and Mayor Joe Hogsett joined an FFA choir for an opening ceremony on Monument Circle.
With GenCon and the Fire Department Instructors Conference reducing their capacity this year, the FFA’S 55,000 agriculture students represent the biggest convention Indy has hosted since the pandemic. The city will break that record in December, when the annual PRI motorsports trade show comes to town.
Holcomb says the convention is another milestone in emerging from the pandemic, and says the fact it’s the FFA is especially meaningful. He says all of Indiana has deep FFA roots, and says the students converging on Indy from all 50 states represent the next generation of an industry that’s on the cutting edge of technological innovation.
And FFA CEO Scott Stump says after months of loss, the mere fact of being together in person represents hope and renewal.
The sessions will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, while the Expo will be at the Indiana Convention Center.
The sessions will be broadcast on RFD-TV on cable, and will also be streamed at FFA.org, and will include sessions about how agriculture can help solve many of the world’s problems, such as hunger.
Students will hear from some of the industry’s most qualified people, in addition to a concert Wednesday night by Brett Young and rodeos Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“Service has always been a part of the National FFA motto, and members will be able to participate in two new onsite service projects,” said a news release from FFA.
“The first will be the building of Little Free Pantries, which will be placed in and around Indianapolis to help improve access to food for those in need. The second opportunity will be to paint the Little Free Pantries or create uplifting cards for Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana.”
You can expect to see full restaurants in downtown Indianapolis and hotels and motels are booked throughout the central part of the state.
