Sound the trumpets...we are beyond excited to share with you: 

2021 Illinois FFA State Convention, like any great corn seed, is HYBRID.  

We are thrilled to announce that we are going to be in-person for 3 regional events and for a condensed State Convention, as well as live stream all of these events.  

The 2021 Convention Business Session: 

• Friday, May 28, 2021 will be held virtually via Zoom, similarly to 2020. 

• Opening Ceremonies will begin at 3:00 p.m.

• All delegates (2 per Chapter) will have to be identified and registered in advance. 

• Official Dress is required for all delegates.

• Business Session will include: 

  • Opening Ceremonies

  • Duties & Expectations of Delegates

  • Section Presidents & Acting Section Presidents report for Roll Call

  • Review of Voting Procedures

  • Sample Questions

  • Official approval of Illinois FFA State Degree candidates

  • Official approval of State FFA Honorary Degrees awarded - parents of major state officers

  • Committee Reports

  • Constitutional Amendments

  • Impromptu Question-Major State Officer Candidates

  • Closing Ceremonies

In-Person Regional Events: 

• Tuesday, June 1, 2021 will be at the Cornbelters Corn Crib in Normal, IL. We will celebrate the District 1 & 2 Award winners.  Opening Ceremonies will begin at 3:00 p.m.

• Friday, June 4, 2021 will be at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL in Saluki Stadium.  We will celebrate the District 5 Award winners.  Opening Ceremonies will begin at 5:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, June 9, 2021 will be at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand in Springfield, IL. We will celebrate the District 3 & 4 Award winners.  Opening Ceremonies will begin at 3:00 p.m.

• At this time, we are allowing every award winner to be in attendance with up to three family members to be there to celebrate with them, as well as 5 members from every FFA Chapter from the Districts attending, as well as all FFA Advisors.  

• All COVID 19 protocols will continue to be enforced. All attendees must wear masks and social distancing is required as well as remaining within your chapter/family unit.  

• Registration fee is to be determined; we are still working on potential sponsorship as well as coordinating our cost at each location.  

• Official FFA Dress is required for all in person events.  

In-Person Condensed State FFA Convention: 

• Tuesday, June 8, 2021 will be at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand in Springfield, IL. We will be celebrating our Stars Over Illinois and the 2020 - 2021 State Officers’ “Retiring Moments”.  

  • Opening Ceremonies will begin at 3:00 p.m.

  • At this time, we are allowing every award winner to be in attendance with up to three family members to be there to celebrate with them, as well as 5 members from every FFA Chapter from the Districts attending, as well as all FFA Advisors.  

  • Star Over Illinois includes: 

    • Discovery Star Agribusiness Winner

    • Discovery Star in Agricultural Placement Winner

    • Discovery Star Farmer Winner

    • State Star Agriscience Finalists

    • State Star Agribusiness Finalists

    • State Star in Agricultural Placement Finalists

    • State Star Farmer Finalists  

  • What is a “Retiring Moment”?  

The major state officers will record their retiring addresses in May, and we will post the retiring addresses via Facebook the week of June 1 - 4, 2021.  Then on June 8, 2021 officers will create a shortened highlight of the retiring addresses and present their final remarks/goodbye.  Their teammates will present them with the retiring plaques for their “final” moment with Illinois FFA.  

• Official FFA Dress is required for all in person events.  

• Thursday, June 10, 2021 will be at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand in Springfield, IL. We will conduct the election of the 2021 - 2022 Illinois FFA State Officer team, hear remarks from our very own Miriam Hoffman, 2020-2021 National FFA Eastern Region Vice President, Ranger Raffle Drawing and celebrate the National Chapter Award winners.  

  • Opening Ceremonies will begin at 1:00 p.m.

  • Each FFA Chapter is allowed to bring 5 FFA members per chapter at this time, as well as all FFA Advisors. We hope this number can increase as both time goes on and registrations come in. 

  • For Elections: 

    • We will continue to use Turning Technologies (an electronic voting service) allowing two delegates per school to participate either in person or remotely similar to last year’s elections.  

  • Illinois FFA Alumni & Supporters Ranger Raffle Drawing

  • National Chapter Awards Ceremonies will include the following award winners: 

    • Section Winners recognized & State Winner Announced for: 

      • Strengthening Agriculture Growing Leaders 

      • Building Communities

      • Premier Chapter Award

    • National Finalists

• Official FFA Dress is required for all in person events.  

2021 Illinois FFA Convention--Frequently Asked Questions: 

•  What will a regional event and the condensed Convention look like?  What is the agenda?  Click here to view the tentative agendas.  

• Why aren’t we doing all of the convention sessions in Springfield, IL from June 8 - 10, 2021?  

Due to many schools still not being allowed to have any overnight events, we decided to host condensed award ceremonies at regional sites to allow schools and supporters to keep their travel within a reasonable day.  

• Is there anything that has been cancelled or eliminated at the regional events or State Convention this year?  

Yes; we made the difficult decision to withdraw the following activities and ceremonies from our convention itineraries this year: 

• Ag Communications Summit - Withdrawn

• State FFA Band - Withdrawn

• State FFA Chorus - Withdrawn

• Scrapbook Competition and Recognition - Withdrawn

• Digital Scrapbook Competition and Recognition - Withdrawn

• Courtesy Corps - Withdrawn

• Official Meal Functions - Withdrawn 

• Honorary State Degree Ceremony - to be presented at the 2022 Illinois FFA State Convention.  

• Foundation 25/50 Year Donors - to be presented at the 2022 Illinois FFA State Convention.  

• Foundation Distinguished Service - to be presented at the 2022 Illinois FFA State Convention.  

• Aside from live streaming convention sessions, what other events or award ceremonies will be conducted virtually?  

Please review the list below. Some listed activities are confirmed to be conducted virtually while others have the potential to be conducted virtually but are yet to be determined.  

Events/Ceremonies with Virtual Platform To Be Determined:

• Quizbowl - MAYBE Done Virtually - TBD

• Career Show - MAYBE Done Virtually - TBD

• Workshops - MAYBE Done Virtually - TBD

Competitive Events to be hosted Virtually via Zoom:

• Agriscience Fair (More Details TBA)

Events played virtually as a Video on Social Media:

• American Star Finalists

• Introduction of Visiting State Associations

• ICAE, ILCAE, FCAE, ISBE Recognition

• FFA Board Recognition

• Youth Ed Committee Recognition

• Growmark Essay Contest

• Sam Taylor Memorial Scholarship

• Foundation Star Sponsors

“Hybrid” Events--Partially Virtual and Partially In-Person:

• So God Made an Ag Teacher - Video will be played on Social Media, and retiring teachers will be recognized on stage at regional events.

• Announcement of State Officer Candidates - Video will be played on Social Media, and candidates will introduce themselves at regional events.  

• Proficiency Award Winner Videos - Video will be played on Social Media, and award winners will be recognized on stage at regional events.  

• What will happen if it rains on the day of a convention session? 

In the best case scenario, we will wait out the rain and move on. We will factor in a rain delay and make specific plans as the event date approaches. In the worst case scenario, you will pick-up your Chapter’s awards from the registration area,  and pack up to head home. Specific directions for award pick-up and/or orderly exit of the venue will be provided in advance.

• If we are vaccinated do we still have to follow COVID protocols?  

Convention proceedings will follow all State guidelines for COVID-19 risk mitigation (https://www.dph.illinois.gov/), and we expect all participants in attendance to abide by those same requirements. We are very excited and determined to have these events in-person. If following those guidelines allows us the opportunity to do so, we can and will follow them. This includes wearing masks even if an individual has been vaccinated. In addition to statewide guidelines, Illinois FFA will work with local county health departments for each respective host site.

• Since convention is being held at outdoor venues, will FFA members be expected to wear Official FFA Dress?  

Yes; Official Dress is still expected for active FFA members attending this year's regional events and State Convention sessions. 

• How much will convention registration cost? 

The registration fee is yet to be determined at this time. More information will be released as soon as a fee structure has been established.

• Will my students still get to go on stage to receive awards?

Yes; award winners will be recognized on stage at each of the events.  It will look a little different. We will not have large groups of people on stage all at the same time. Members will be recognized with adequate social distancing.  

• Can I bring an administrator to convention this year?

We welcome administrators, but once again we anticipate that we will limit the number of people per school. We hope those limited numbers can grow or even ultimately be eliminated. We will keep you posted as more information develops.  

• Can my chapter stay overnight?

That is COMPLETELY up to your school administration and rules at the local level. We have designed the convention agenda so it DOES NOT require an overnight to accommodate the many who would not be allowed to attend any overnight events.  

• Will the Alumni be selling FFA merchandise?

Yes; more information will be forthcoming.  

• What assurances, forms, or documentation will be required for a student to attend? (i.e. Contract Tracing, Liability Form, etc.) Illinois FFA is providing a document that teachers or programs can use at their discretion.  Click here for that documentation for your use.