Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology will help host more than 6,000 high school students and educators Saturday through Tuesday, April 22 through 25 as part of the 89th California State Future Farmers of America (FFA) Leadership Conference.
Featuring the theme “Limitless,” this year’s conference will attract students and educators to participate in workshops, motivational leadership sessions and networking.
Most of the FFA Field Day judging events will be held between 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on campus. Fresno State students, faculty and volunteers will administer contests in 20 categories that cover agronomy, business, computers, dairy, equine, farm power, fruit tree, grapevine, livestock, machinery, marketing, meats, pest control, poultry, small engine, soil, technology, vegetable crop and veterinary science.
An awards ceremony will follow at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Fresno Convention Center’s Valdez Hall.
On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., about 100 Fresno State students, staff and faculty will host on-campus workshops, tours of the 1,000-acre University Agricultural Laboratory and career development events that challenge participants’ industry knowledge.
Among Sunday’s 65 campus presentations, national FFA Vice President DeShawn Blanding and national FFA President David Townsend will speak at 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, in the North Gym (Room 118).
On Sunday at 3:45 p.m. at Selland Arena in downtown Fresno, University president Joseph I. Castro and plant science mechanized agriculture faculty member Ken Heupel will be among 10 honorees who will be awarded honorary state FFA degrees at the third general session.
On Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the downtown Exposition Center, Jordan College students, faculty and staff will host four booths among the 50 exhibitors at the career show.
On Monday at 9 p.m. country music singer Brett Young, a former Fresno State baseball pitcher, will perform a concert at Selland Arena. His singles “Sleep Without You” and “In Case You Didn’t Know” each climbed to third on the Billboard American country charts in the past year.
Fresno State will also host a dinner on Friday for the 45 FFA student officer candidates who will be welcomed by Castro. The state’s six newly-elected student officers will be honored Tuesday at a campus luncheon with Jordan College Dean Sandra Witte and FFA officials.
Nearly 150 University students, staff and faculty, many of whom are state FFA alumni, planned and coordinated Fresno State’s involvement in the conference.
The California FFA was founded in 1928 and is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students from 324 high schools. Its programs aim to develop its 85,000 members’ potential for leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
For more information, visit www.calaged.org/stateconvention or contact senior Ashley Cropper, public relations chairperson for the Fresno State FFA convention planning committee at 209.327.9511 or acropper22@mail.fresnostate.edu.
