FFA Today: New Century Farmer Conference Develops Future Ag Leaders

Young farmers gathered in Indianapolis for leadership development, industry tours and networking.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (RFD-TV) — The National FFA Organization recently welcomed young farmers from across the country to Indianapolis for its annual New Century Farmer Conference.

Emma Slavens with the National FFA Organization joined us on Monday’s FFA Today to discuss this year’s conference.

In her conversation with RFD-TV, Slavens said the five-day conference gives FFA alumni ages 18 to 24 the opportunity to learn more about production agriculture through speakers and leadership development.

She said this year’s conference welcomed 45 FFA alumni from 23 states, where participants toured agricultural businesses, connected with industry professionals and learned about topics including farm succession planning.

Applications for the 2027 New Century Farmer Conference open Dec. 15 through the National FFA website. Next year’s conference will be held in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Knoxville native Neal Burnette-Irwin is a graduate from MTSU where he majored in Journalism and Entertainment Studies. He works as a digital content producer with RFD-TV and is represented by multiple talent agencies in Nashville and Chicago.


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