2015 National FFA Development Conference

Hot, humid, grits, hush puppies, ya-allllll and Ben Holmes on the bump for the Greensboro Grasshoppers…that’s right North Carolina. In early July my wife Pam and myself, Robert and Marge Schmidig, Jessica Rolland had the good fortune to represent Oregon at the 2015 National FFA Alumni Development Conference. Also, we had a surprise visit from Kathy and Wynn Mayfield who joined us for the taste of the state’s event.

The conference was held in Raleigh, North Carolina 2 blocks from the home of the NC State University Wolfpack and the Historic bell tower. A land grant university with over 34,000 students and is part of the research triangle. For over 50 years the leaders in the fields of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agriculture and environment have called the triangle home.

We had the opportunity to tour BASF, Bayer and Syngenta facilities that are also in the triangle. Research in seed production, bees, corn, tobacco and many more areas in production agriculture are being conducted by these companies. Syngenta for one did not allow phones or cameras at their site and we all had to declare our place of employment (Monsanto would have been the wrong answer).

On Friday we visited the NC FFA Center. Home to many FFA events such as summer camps, meeting’s, training and more. In one of the buildings we toured, a complete history of the FFA in NC was displayed. On the wall was a wood sign that would have been an early model of the 3 circle model for Ag Education (see the picture). Notice the word “integral” at the top of the sign!!

One of my favorite activities of the week was the Ag tour of Johnson County. We spent time at a Wholesale Nursery, a Winery/Distillery and a Tobacco/Bean/Sweet Potato Farm ran by the Langdon Family a 6 generation family farm. We where hosted by the South Johnson FFA Alumni for lunch which included ice cream that was made right in front of us fresh!!

The conference itself was very interesting when you compare ideas and thoughts from around the country. I became very well acquainted with folks from Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina and more. These are people that I can call friends and we all share and value the FFA.

The national staff did a great job putting together a group of seminars and breakout sessions. Among those were recruiting judges, CDE’s, SAE’s, what are our roles, mobilizing volunteers, what does my Ag Teacher need and many more.


One thing is for sure….Oregon is very well thought of in the national ranks. We have been a leader and pace setter for along time. I do not know how many time I was asked how is Dennis, Cindy, Shauna, Bob and was asked to say HI to all of them and wish them well!


North Carolinas FFA Alumni also need a huge thank you for being great hosts for this conference a great time was had by all. And Thank You Oregon FFA Alumni for allowing us to represent the great state of Oregon in North Carolina!!