FFA

How COVID-19 is affecting the FFA organization

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Image by Kacie Hulshof

Not too long ago the coronavirus seemed like a disease far, far away. However, in the global world we live in, it was only a matter of time before it affected the United States. While living in a connected world has its perks, it also has its drawbacks as we have seen that the past few weeks. Unfortunately, many State FFA Associations and the National FFA Organization had to change plans for the safety of the students and community members due to COVID-19.   

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 16, 2020, and was updated April 9, 2020.

The National FFA Organization:

According to the the National FFA Organization website, “Our organization has processes and policies in place to monitor, plan and act for situations such as COVID-19. Our focus is to protect the safety of our members, advisors, staff and stakeholders while caring for the long-term health of our organization. Read more here.

  • All sessions of the 2020 Washington Leadership Conference have been canceled. 
  • Postponement of state and chapter housing opening date for the 2020 National FFA Convention & Expo to Wednesday, June 10.
  • Remote work-from-home operations for all National FFA staff and officers
  • Includes postponement of in-person programs hosted by National FFA through at least May 18
  • Temporary closure of merchandise distribution center their website for more information. 

State FFA Associations:

  • Alabama FFA — “We have just received word from the State Department of Education that all ALSDE sponsored conferences, meetings, and trainings will be canceled through April 30, 2020.” Read more here.
  • Alaska FFA — “Alaska FFA, we are very excited to announce our first ever Virtual State FFA Convention! The gavel drops Tuesday, April 14th and convention will conclude Thursday, April 16th. Competitions will be held via Google Classroom, while our convention content and awards will be posted daily on both Facebook and Instagram.”
  • Arizona FFA —  “At this time we are moving forward with the cancellation/restructuring of COLT, State Leadership Conference, and State Leadership Camp.” 
  • Arkansas FFA — “We wanted to inform our members that as of today all of our District CDE contests have been postponed until further notice. We will work closely with our Ag Educators to keep our members informed when we move forward.”
  • California FFA — “With the Anaheim Convention Center canceling all events through April, it is with our deepest regret that we will be canceling this year’s State Leadership Conference. California FFA is currently pursuing a virtual, online alternative.”
  • Colorado FFA — “It was decided, in coordination with Colorado State University, that in order to provide the best experience for the students, that we will postpone State CDEs to September 11, 2020 at Colorado State University.”
  • Florida FFA — “The Florida FFA Association continues to monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in the United States, and we are committed to taking proactive steps to protect the health of our staff, our teachers, our stakeholders and the students we serve.” Read more here.
  • Georgia FFA — Today, we choose to be limitless as we, unfortunately, postpone the 92nd State FFA Convention. Our goal is to keep students’ and their families’ safety at minimal risk. More info here. 
  • Idaho FFA — “We are sad to inform you that Idaho Career and Technical Education has officially announced that the Idaho FFA State Leadership Conference is to be cancelled due to the concerns of COVID-19 outbreak.”
  • Illinois FFA — “Please note it is with great deliberation and discussion the Illinois FFA Board and IAVAT Board have decided the following measures to help ensure the safety and well being of our members, as well as still allow them the opportunity to continue to participate in FFA events.” Read more here. 
  • Indiana FFA — “The Indiana FFA Association is committed to delivering the best programming and opportunities for FFA members possible based on safety guidelines and public limitations.” As the pandemic is ever changing, check out their website for current updates/modifications to programming as of the date listed.
  • Iowa FFA — “We regret to inform everyone that the 2020 Iowa FFA Leadership Conference has been cancelled. This is a difficult decision, and was not made lightly. An alternative schedule to deliver components of the conference that are essential to state programming will occur at a date to be determined.”  
  • Idaho FFA — “We are sad to inform you that the Idaho Career and Technical Education has officially announced that the Idaho FFA State Leadership Conference is to be cancelled due to the concerns of COVID-19 outbreak. We will keep advisors updated on what the next steps for our delegate business and competitions will be. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.”
  • Illinois FFA — “Please note it is with great deliberation and discussion the Illinois FFA Board and IAVAT Board have decided the following measures to help ensure the safety and well being of our members, as well as still allow them the opportunity to continue to participate in FFA events.” Some measure include: Illinois FFA State Awards Day is postponed indefinitely. The board will revisit the topic by April 10, 2020 , to determine the next course of action. It is highly possible that proficiency judging could be moved to an online system. All District and State level events are postponed until after April 10, 2020 including State Dairy Cattle & Handlers. Click here for the full list.
  • Iowa FFA — The Iowa FFA Association’s District FFA Conventions planned for Saturday, March 14th occured as scheduled, but only with components that are considered essential to state programming. The essential components identified include the annual meeting of voting delegates and state qualifying career development events (CDEs).
  • Kansas FFA — “State CDE’s, hosted by Kansas State University, have been postponed. Further updates will be released when available here.”
  • Louisiana FFA — “As we navigate this global effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we will be effectively suspending ALL Louisiana FFA events and activities until April 18th. We will evaluate the situation then to determine if we can resume activities 
  • Maine FFA — “It is with a very heavy heart that I need to announce that the 2020 Maine State FFA Convention will unfortunately be postponed due to the current COVID-19 circumstances.” Read more here.
  • Minnesota FFA — “State Convention Postponed. We are exploring June dates. More information will be made available as it is confirmed.” 
  • Missouri FFA — Missouri’s State FFA Convention, which was scheduled for April 23 and 24, is postponed. Staff members are working on a contingency plan for the convention program, State Leadership Development, and State Career Development events. The association is recommending that all area and district FFA events involving significant numbers of students be reconsidered.
  • Montana FFA — After careful and substantial consideration regarding the impact that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has and will continue to make, it has been determined that the best option to protect the health of our students, stakeholders, and community is to suspend the 2020 State FFA Convention and CDE Days in Great Falls until further notice. This decision was made by representatives from the Montana FFA Association, MSU Ag & Tech Ed Department, Montana FFA Board of Trustees, and the Montana FFA Foundation.
  • Nebraska FFA — “Due to concerns regarding COVID-19 and a commitment to keep the thousands of students, advisers, and stakeholders from across the state safe, the Nebraska Department of Education has made the decision to cancel all large group gatherings, in-person meetings and the 2020 Nebraska FFA State Convention. Additional information will be shared via the Nebraska FFA website and social media channels when available.” 
  • Nevada FFA — Nevada FFA held their first ever virtual state convention on March 17-20. Sessions included updates, state officer candidate introductions, awards, sponsor recognition, and more!
  • New York FFA — “In these rapidly changing times with schools closed, events cancelled, and lives disrupted, witnessing the harmonious and cooperative spirit among the agricultural education family has been remarkable. Please refer to our COVID-19 page for up-to-date information and the following FAQ pages and Cancellation Statements with specific details on upcoming teacher and student conferences, events, trainings and student leadership programming.” 
  • North Carolina FFA — “Over the past month, we have been monitoring the situation with the coronavirus in respect to FFA events and activities. After much thoughtful consideration and evaluating our circumstances, we made the difficult decision this afternoon with the North Carolina FFA Board of Directors to cancel our summer camping program and close the North Carolina FFA Center until further notice. This includes all FFA and non-FFA rentals.” Read more here.
  • North Dakota FFA — “Due to the rapidly evolving circumstances of the Coronavirus and an effort to keep the safety of all our students, FFA members, teacherrs, and volunteers a priority, the 2020 State FFA Winter CDEs scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2020 have been postponed.” Read more here. 
  • Ohio FFA — In a statement released March 31, Ohio FFA Advisor Matt Winkle announced that the 2020 Ohio FFA State Convention has been cancelled. In addition, all in-person events and competitions scheduled through May 1 have been postponed. Read more here. Although we will not be able to gather together for the 92nd Ohio FFA Convention due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there are still many member accomplishments we would like to recognize this spring. Tune into Ohio FFA social media channels throughout the week of May 4-8 for the online 2020 Ohio FFA Celebration.
  • Oklahoma FFA — In a statement from the Oklahoma FFA Association, they announced they will postpone the State FFA Convention. Read more here. 
  • Oregon FFA —  “As you likely know due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Oregon FFA Convention, April Career Development Events, and OSU CDE Days have been cancelled/revised. The Association Board of Directors has approved the plans below by event.Read more here.
  • Pennsylvania FFA — As the impact of Covid-19 continues to become stronger our Board of Directors made the extremely difficult decision to cancel this year’s State Legislative Leadership Conference.
  • Rhode Island FFA — It is with great sadness that all the events planned for the upcoming months have been postponed until further notice. The State Officer Reunion, Day of Service, State Convention and more will be rescheduled.
  • South Dakota FFA — “The 92nd South Dakota FFA State Convention, originally set to take place April 19-21, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are exploring alternative dates and will announce once a date is finalized.”
  • Tennessee FFA — The 92nd Tennessee FFA State Convention has been postponed. Tennessee FFA will post updates as further decisions are made.
  • Texas FFA — “All district and area face-to-face meetings and activities are postponed through at least May 4,2020.” Read more here. 
  • Utah FFA — “In a statewide effort to proactively stop the potential spread of COVID-19, the 92nd Utah FFA State Convention has been postponed until further notice. The health and well-being of our students, stakeholders, and all in our Agricultural Education community is our top priority.” Due to the serious nature of this situation, they refrained from making any announcements regarding when or where State Convention will be held in the future. 
  • Virginia FFA — With the recent announcement from Virginia Tech regarding the cancellation of on campus summer events, Virginia FFA is left to make some difficult decisions regarding our annual State Convention. Our governing board is considering various options and a decision will be made by May 1st. 
  • Washington FFA — “This is the formal announcement postponing the live 90th Washington FFA State Convention & Expo in May and exploring a tentative date of August 2-5 pending health/government/host-site availability. Read more here.
  • Wyoming FFA — “The Wyoming FFA has canceled the 2020 Wyoming FFA Convention, scheduled to be held April 15-18, in Cheyenne. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat and the closure of partner facilities we rely on to conduct the convention.” Read more here. 

We know how long the students have prepared for these events. However, these decisions were not made lightly and the organization only wants what is best for the students, advisors, staff, and community members. Many State FFA Associations made these announcements after President Trump declared a national emergency on Friday afternoon. Hopefully steps taken now can help the future outcome of this virus. 

We will update this list as more information becomes available. Below you can find additional information on COVID-19.

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The views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of AGDAILY.