Seventy-five years from now what will the agriculture industry look like? What practices and programs will still be around? What current technologies will be long gone? That’s what a group of FFA members will discover in 2093, when they open a time capsule John Deere and the National FFA will bury later this year.
“We believe the time capsule will be a fun and educational way for FFA members to see how farming practices are done today and compare how farming has evolved over the years,” said Amy Allen, Manager of Corporate Sponsorships, John Deere. “There may even be practices that have not changed from now until then.”
A collaborate effort between several individuals at the two organizations, the time capsule celebrates the 75 years of partnership between John Deere and National FFA and is the reason the organizations are asking FFA members and alumni nationwide to submit ideas for the 75 objects that will be included in the capsule.
“We hope to collect a whole range of items for the time capsule including tools, machine parts, crop inputs, projects, photos, recordings, books, articles, patents, letters, apparel, receipts, deeds — anything that might interest an FFA member in 2093,” Allen said.
Submissions must include one to five images and/or videos of the object, a description of the object and its importance, and the estimated dimensions of the object.
Allen acknowledges that picking the 75 objects won’t be an easy feat.
“Choosing the 75 objects for the time capsule will be a difficult task as there will certainly be a lot of good ideas,” Allen said. “It will be important that items reflect the importance of farm practices, tie back to John Deere or the FFA brand, focus on innovation and responsible farming practices, and that the items that can be displayed in a meaningful, innovative, or unique way to tell a story.”
With each submission, John Deere and the National FFA would also like a prediction for the next 75 years in ag. While your time capsule idea may not be chosen, every individual prediction will be included.
The deadline for submitting items and predictions for the time capsule is May 31, 2018 at 3 p.m. Central time.
The time capsule will be donated to the National FFA Organization after the 2018 National FFA Convention. Ceremonial and burial details will be announced at a later date.
