Nearly 3,000 FFA students, advisers and supporters converged at the Raleigh Convention Center July27-29 for the 94^th North Carolina FFA State Convention. The convention theme was “Leave Your Legacy.”

In the opening general session attended by 2,749 FFA members and others, FFA state adviser Joshua Bledsoe told the future agriculture leaders that there is a great future in agriculture for them. He said North Carolina’s largest industry needs them. “I’m looking forward to seeing many of you be the leaders  for agriculture our state and our nation needs.”

Bledsoe said 2023 is a record-breaking year for North Carolina FFA in terms of members with 36,411 members across the state. He said North Carolina FFA is the fifth largest FFA in the entire nation.

“This convention brings together all of us, regardless of what role we may have or what role brings us here. You as FFA members have the chance to meet other FFA members from across the state, teachers, business and industry professionals,” Bledsoe said.

“You get to hang out with some really cool folks. Our alumni and supporters make all of this happen, and we do that to celebrate you and your accomplishments.  I hope also in addition to meeting all of those folks and getting to know them, I hope this week allows you to get to know you a little better as well, so take advantage of that.”

The three-day convention provided both networking, fellowship, and education for the future ag leaders. Junior high and high school students from all 100 North Carolina counties were able to meet with representatives from North Carolina State University, North Carolina Farm Bureau, commodity groups and crop protection companies to learn about future employment opportunities in agriculture. Opportunities to develop leadership skills,  grow personally, and improve communication skills were available to all FFA members in attendance.