ANKENY, Iowa--Students from FFA chapters across Iowa were involved in a once in a lifetime opportunity the week of January 9, 2017. The National FFA Experience State Week program selected the Iowa FFA Association as the 2017 host. This week-long program was an activity of the National FFA Organization made possible with support from Animal Health International through the Iowa FFA Foundation.
The entire National FFA Officer team toured the state, providing leadership workshops and keynote speeches to FFA members across the state. The following colleges provided host site facilities for the days’ events on Monday, January 9th through Friday, January 13th:
Dordt College, Sioux Center
Iowa Lakes Community College, Emmetsburg
Northeast Iowa Community College, Calmar
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids
Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny
The final day of Experience State Week—Saturday, January 14th—was the capstone conference of the week. The “Vision Conference” was a collaborative effort among the National FFA Officers and Iowa FFA Officers designed to connect FFA members from across Iowa with the National FFA Vision. FFA members learned how to grow as leaders, building connections with the community, and advocate for agriculture. The day-long conference concluded with the members developing an action plan to implement in their local FFA chapter.
The purpose of Experience State Week is to provide the National FFA Officers with opportunities to engage in real experiences similar to those they will be presented with during their year of service. Through these activities, the officers will learn about delivering effective programming to FFA members across the country.
The Iowa FFA Association extends a thank you to the host sites listed above for their cooperation and support for this unique opportunity.
# # #
About Iowa FFA Association
The Iowa FFA Association is a youth organization of over 14,700 student members as part of 232 local FFA chapters across Iowa. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The Iowa FFA Association was organized by delegates from 23 schools at Iowa State College on May 17, 1929 and is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The Iowa Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the Iowa FFA Association online at IowaFFA.com, on Facebook, and Twitter.
