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The Illinois FFA major state officers and hundreds of Illinois Farm Bureau members from across the state met at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago on Dec. 1 to celebrate the state’s agricultural accomplishments over the past year.
Joining the state officers were the 4-H Youth Leadership Team and the 4-H Livestock Ambassador Team. These groups, along with Illinois FFA’s state officers, make up the Youth Education in Agriculture Committee.
The student representatives of the YEA Committee enjoyed the conference’s events and represented their organizations throughout the weekend.
The YEA Committee opened the first general session by carrying in the American, Illinois, IFB, FFA and 4-H flags. Illinois FFA State President Thaddeus Bergschneider addressed the members of Farm Bureau.
Thaddeus talked about how both the FFA state theme, “United as One,” and IFB’s state theme, “Year of the Farmer,” are very important and can really dictate the course of the year.
During the Annual Meeting, Illinois FFA’s state officers attended the Young Leader Discussion Meets, where contestants, ages 18 to 25, are judged on their knowledge of a predetermined agricultural topic and their ability to work together and share ideas in a small group. This year’s winner was Austin Granby.
The next day, the FFA and 4-H leaders attended the Young Leader Awards Program and the General Session in the morning, followed by assisting at the IAA Foundation Fundraiser in the afternoon.
After departing from the IFB Annual Meeting, the state officers had their last week of chapter visits followed by their State Officer Retreat.
This year, the officers traveled 21,777 miles. In all, 7,847 Illinois FFA members were able to complete the Lockbox.
The retreat that followed was used to brainstorm and begin planning the 96th annual Illinois FFA State Convention, which will be held June 11-13 at the Bank of Springfield Center.
Cooper Nelson from the Canton FFA Chapter is the 2023-2024 Illinois Association FFA state reporter.