SAINT PAUL — Nearly 4,000 FFA members have gathered for the 90th Minnesota FFA Convention at the University of Minnesota (UMN).
Sixteen FFA members completed interviews to serve as state officers for the Minnesota FFA during the 2019-2020 year. The six-member team will be announced during the fourth general session at 12 noon Tuesday, April 30.
Workshops began for students as they arrived for convention. The UMN Agricultural Education department hosted an invitation-only “Change Lives: Teach Ag Ed” workshop. Campus organizations provided displays for FFA members with student representatives with whom they can interact.
First-year agricultural education students competed in the annual Best Informed Greenhand competition, sponsored by ACH Seeds. Winners of the contest will be announced during the fourth general session Tuesday.
The Minnesota Farm Bureau hosted the annual Discussion Meet competition. Sixteen students participated in the contest and addressed topics including career opportunities in agriculture and efficient farming stewardship. Winners of the Discussion Meet will be announced at the fourth general session Tuesday.
The convention officially began with the talent show and reflection program at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the UMN campus. Judges requested 10 out of 16 contestants to perform in front of the student audience at Sunday night’s session. Riley Moland from the Fertile-Beltrami FFA Chapter received top honors with her dancing talent act.
Minnesota FFA State Reporter Lauralee Eaton delivered her retiring address, “Be A Positive Magnet,” and spoke about the importance of choices.
“Every day, we have a choice,” Eaton said. “We have a lot of choices, and we can choose to see the positive. We may not be able to control the situation, but we always have a choice in how we respond.”
The 2018-2019 Minnesota FFA State Officer team concluded the session with analog encompassing their theme, “Aspire to Be: Reach for the Horizon.”
“When we choose to act with good character and integrity, we can influence those around us with each action,” said Laura Church, Minnesota FFA state secretary. “You never know who’s following your lead.”
Visit mnffa.org for more details about the 90th Minnesota FFA Convention. Follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or watch the general sessions youtube.com/minnesotaffa.
All results are preliminary for one week following Minnesota FFA Convention. Final results can be found at mnffa.org.
— Minnesota FFA
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