FFA members attend Next Gen: Plant Pathways

The National FFA Organization recently hosted its first Next Gen Conference of the year in Orlando, Florida, from March 4 to 8. Next Gen Conferences help FFA student members map out future career opportunities in agriculture.

This conference brought 75 high school sophomores, juniors and seniors together to experience plant science careers and companies through informational sessions, roundtable discussions, and tours.

Next Gen conferences are one impactful way FFA prepares students for the more than 350 careers in agriculture, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to make their best next steps after high school graduation.

The Next Gen Conference: Plant Systems tour locations around Orlando included:

• Wekiwa Gardens Greenhouse
• Scott’s Miracle Gro Research Lab
• Showcase of Citrus
• Cherrylake Tree Farm

“It’s always a privilege watching students attend Next Gen Conferences as they are eager to learn, network, and grow,” said Joe Martin, program specialist, advocacy, literacy & ag-based experiences, National FFA Organization. “Once the conference is over, they’re even more empowered to continue equipping themselves with the skills they need to pursue their own individual goals.”

The 75 students selected to participate were chosen from a competitive applicant pool. Students were asked to share about their Supervised Agricultural Experience, the work-based learning portion of agricultural education that applies concepts learned in the classroom to internships or entrepreneurship. Supervised Agricultural Experiences of students who attended the conference included landscape installation placements, greenhouse management, vegetable production, and nursery operations.

The following 75 high school students were selected to attend the conference in Orlando through a competitive application process.

Alaska
Liam Wade

California
Kimberly Mercado-Frausto

Florida
Angelisse Thomson
Louis Bentley

Iowa
Savannah Flores
Alaina Hartl
McKinley Otto
Chase Sorenson

Idaho
Paislie Lancaster
Lucy Smith
Lillian Bremer
Brandon Little

Illinois
Emma Howell
Addison Nowlan
Alex Joos
Aidan Unhold
Kurt Zimmerman

Indiana
Kaitlyn Maruszewski
Brooklyn Rasche
Alexis Tenuta
Lexi Fuhrman
Tyler Bense

Kansas
Lauryn Caviness
Addilyn Lefferd

Kentucky
Madison Young
Nathan Crumbley

Louisiana
Maggie Phelan

Minnesota
Holly Hughes
Leya Anderson
Gabby Epple
Chloe Kieser
Caleb Michels

Missouri
Ada Mabary
Owen Barber
Landon Pottebaum

Montana
Joel Standley
North Carolina
Kaitlyn Woodell
North Dakota
Brooklyn Miller
Hudson Due

Nebraska
Esther VanOverbeke

Ohio
Katie Reed
Taylor Johnson
Eden Myers
Ben Bracher
Hunter Guenther

Oklahoma
Kaitlyn Knauss
Greer Lucas

Oregon
Robert Harris

Pennsylvania
Veronica Hummel

South Carolina
Blake Arias

Tennessee
Miracle Brown
Olivia See
Madilynn Shackelton
Abby Woodward
Ariana Mota Carrillo
Riley Adsmond

Washington
Haley Soto-Aguirre
Kinzey Appleford
Dane Booth

Wisconsin
Lauren Weed
Carolynn Backes
Mallory Braun
Gracy Fox
Elli Johanek
Jordan Berg
Reese Cherney
Rebecca Konkel
Trinity Popp
Magdalena Moehn
Hannah Yeager
Blake Mertens

West Virginia
Emma Quick
Emma Stalnaker

Wyoming
Garrett Plaggemeyer

Next Gen Conferences occur three times a year to prepare the next generation of leaders who will feed, fuel, clothe, and sustain the world through educational and career exploration opportunities that set them up for success after graduation.