Earlier this month, a handful of AgTexas team members and thousands of students in
blue corduroy braved the storm and travelled to Houston, Texas for the
annual State FFA 
Convention. Through power outages, extreme wind, schedule changes, and everything else that comes with a natural disaster,
we ended the week with full hearts and confirmed faith in the next generation of young adults. AgTexas was proud to be a co-title sponsor of this year’s 2024 Texas FFA State Convention!
First, I would like to address the obvious – Hurricane Beryl. It was heartbreaking to see
an event that had been months in the making, get struck by a natural disaster. Something like this has no perfect guide on how to handle it, but man, from what I saw, everyone tried their absolute best. The city of Houston did a wonderful job of making sure everyone was prepared and safe during Hurricane Beryl and the streets and power in the immediate area were back to normal within 24 hours. The staff in charge of coordinating and planning State Convention handled every set-back as well as could be expected in the face of a hurricane. Ag teachers, advisors, and parents did a phenomenal job at getting their kiddos there safely and making sure they still had a great time. For those who sat this one out, I know that tough decision was well-thought out and made with your kids’ best interest at heart. Regardless of your circumstance, it was inspiring to see everyone unite over mutual love for the agriculture industry.
Fast forward to Tuesday morning after the dust settled – or should I say, after the water receded – AgTexas team members moved into the George R. Brown Convention Center and set up a fun booth experience for State FFA attendees. We hauled in a bunch of swag items and a huge freezer where we housed a few thousand frozen treats. At about lunch time, a sea of high schoolers in FFA official dress, rushed into the Exhibit Hall ready to visit all the booths. We handed out sunglasses, pop-it keychains, “all about us” brochures, stickers, lip balm, and of course the star of the show – popsicles! We also rented sketchbots that drew self-portraits onAgTexas branded paper. Super cool!
Our booth had non-stop traffic and every single person that stopped by was smiling and embodied true Texas charm. I witnessed first-hand that Texas FFA students are definitely the “cream of the crop”. We shared great conversation about Farm Credit with students, teachers, and parents from all over the state. It was exhausting, and fun, and fulfilling, and everything in-between!
To all the parents, advisors, mentors, and ag teachers, congratulations on raising up a generation of hard-working and respectful young people. To all of the Texas FFA staff, thank you for investing in these kids and making sure organizations that promote youth in agriculture are still relevant. To all of the FFA students, keep being the shining stars you are. It is more than refreshing to see teenagers that value what’s important in this life. Despite all of the adversity, it was a great and impactful week in more ways than one.
Ag Always,
Hadley Chote
