The sea of blue corduroy jackets is returning to the Alliant Energy Center. The Wisconsin State FFA Officers will soon kick off the 95th Wisconsin State FFA Convention.
Among this team of 11 are Julia Lenz and Parker Litterick — two State Vice Presidents. They join Aubrey Schlimgen with the Mid-West Farm Report in-studio to reflect on their year of service. They tells us what to look forward to at the annual celebration.
“My first full two years of high school life was not as we know it today and therefore, I missed out on many FFA opportunities,” says Julia Lenz. “It has been quite eye-opening because maybe those were opportunities I wasn’t given throughout my time as a high school member, so being able to give back and provide for each of these members what I didn’t have is so rewarding.”
Julia Lenz from Markesan grew up showing livestock. Then she found herself in FFA after experiencing the leadership aspect of the organization. She says this year, the Blue Jacket Legacy Endowment is giving out 26 blue corduroy jackets during the sessions. This is thanks to sponsors such as the Wisconsin FFA Foundation and the Zimmerman Family to honor the memory of the Late Mark Zimmerman.
Parker Litterick from Lomira grew up on a dairy farm. He later got involved with leadership development events in FFA. The organization runs deep in her family. Her sister is a graduating senior at Lomira FFA and follows closely in Litterick’s footsteps.
For FFA chapters with long legacies, such as Lomira, there’s an exciting experience happening at the convention. FFA is highlighting 90 years of the blue corduroy jacket.
“This display will be out in the main hall and it will recognize over 150 different Wisconsin FFA Chapters,” Litterick tells Schlimgen. “You could even maybe find your own home chapter on display.”
The 95th Wisconsin State FFA Convention will run June 10-13 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison: https://wisconsinaged.org/state-convention
