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HOT TOPICS - MUST KNOW:
HOT, HOT, HOT - How HOT you ask??? SUNBURN HOT - So HOT you gotta get the aloe from the fridge HOT.
Illinois FFA Board Reports
National Finalists this year - 2025 National Finalist Selection Results
Illinois FFA 100th Anniversary Memorabilia - 📋 Click here to complete the form
****NEW Information****
Illinois FFA Center Visioning for the Future Listening Sessions
Farm Robotics Academy and Challenge
National Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP)
Conference Teacher Assistants NEEDED
Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest
Message from Princeville FFA
Compeer Community Grants - Make an Impact in Your Local Community
Illinois FFA Center Visioning for the Future Listening Sessions
Click here to submit your thoughts, questions, and concerns to be addressed in the Advance Team Listening Sessions for the Illinois FFA Center Visioning for the future. Our first listening session will be in person at the BUILD Conference on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. We will also provide a Zoom link to join the listening session virtually. More information will be shared closer to BUILD conference.
Farm Robotics Academy and Challenge
The Farm Robotics Academy, a new National FFA Endorsed Activity, empowers students to tackle real-world agricultural challenges with drones, robotics, and AI. The Academy is the training hub for the Farm Robotics Challenge. Sign up by Nov. 10.
3. National Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP)
The National Wildlife Habitat Education Program (WHEP), a new National FFA Endorsed Activity, engages youth ages 8–19 in learning about wildlife and fisheries habitat management through 4-H and FFA. States host annual contests where teams test their knowledge and skills. Winning senior teams will advance to the National WHEP Contest each July, rotating locations across the country.
Conference Teacher Assistants NEEDED
Conference Facilitators need your help! In an effort to allow conference facilitators and team leaders to dedicate their time and attention to providing the best experience possible for members, we need additional assistance managing student logistics during the conferences.
Teacher Assistants will be requested to supervise student programming each day in return for a free advisor registration. Multiple advisors will be selected for larger conferences to share supervision responsibilities. Advisors would sit in the conference room for sessions to coordinate role calls with team leaders, ensuring students are in their correct groups, elevate any behavior issues to conference staff, elevate any mental health issues to conference counselor, elevate any health issues to the conference nurse, assist in corresponding with other advisors as necessary to assist with student issues, assist with capturing photos during the event, ensure students are not leaving designated conference facilities, and routinely walk conference facilities to ensure students are in session.
Click here to sign up to serve as a conference teacher assistant. Upon selection, credits will be applied to chapter invoices.
Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest
The Hoard’s Dairyman Cow Judging Contest allows students to learn and hone their dairy cow judging skills in a setting that doesn’t require access to live cattle for evaluation. The competition is formatted as five pictorial classes of four cows each, with the materials available in print or web-based format for evaluation. Participants apply their judging knowledge and compare their results against those of official dairy cattle judges. For details and dairy judging educational resources, visit the Hoard's Dairyman Dairy Judging Corner.
Message from Princeville FFA
From one small farming town to the entire Illinois FFA family — we did it! Princeville has officially made the Top 25 in the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights competition and earned $25,000.
But now the stakes are higher: we’re chasing the $1 MILLION grand prize — and we can’t get there without YOU.
Illinois, this is our chance to stand together. Show your FFA spirit, vote daily, and share with your friends. Let’s prove what one community, one state, one team can do. Vote once per email, every day through October 24: https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/friday-night-5g-lights/q
One Town. One Team. One Heart. One Million.
Compeer Grant - Make an Impact in Your Local Community
Giving back is one of Compeer Financial’s favorite ways to be here for you.
In this season of gratitude as farmers bring in the crop, help us uplift an organization – like yours – that is making a difference in your community.
From now until Oct. 31, we are giving people the opportunity to enter to win the chance to designate one of three $2,500 donations to an FFA chapter, 4-H club, county fair or food pantry in Illinois, Minnesota or Wisconsin.
Increase your organization’s chances of winning – forward this information or share our social posts to friends of your organization and encourage them to sign up for you too!
The recipient in each state and their stories will be announced on Compeer’s social media channels on Giving Tuesday 2025.
Karen Schieler
Manager of Compeer Giving
*** PREVIOUS Information Shared - WORTH Sharing Again****
PREVIOUS LISTSERVS - CLICK HERE to view - 2025 - 2026 School Year
2024 - 2025 School Year - CLICK HERE
New Information for 2025-26 (Added 9/9/25):
All Conference Event Information, Flyers, Required Forms, Registration Information
2025-26 Calendar of Events: All events, including board meetings, conferences, conventions, registration deadlines, etc.
*Please NOTE that clicking on Dates & Deadlines will take you to the www.ilaged.org calendar.
October 6 - 10, 2025 - Chapter Visits - Sections 2, 6, 9, 11, 25
October 7, 2025 - National Convention Prep Day, IAA Building, Normal, IL
October 8, 2025 - IAVAT Board Meeting, Illinois FFA Center, Springfield, IL
October 10, 2025 - State Job Interview LDE Results DUE
October 13, 2025 - Illinois FFA Center CLOSED
October 14, 2025 - IL FFA Board Meeting, IL FFA Center, Springfield, IL
October 15, 2025 - State Land Use CDE, Black Hawk East Campus, 26230 Black Hawk Rd, Galva, IL
October 16 - 17, 2025 - IACCAI Conference, Parkland College, Champaign, IL
October 21, 2025 - 100th Committee Virtual Meeting at 3:30 p.m.
October 23, 2025 - PAS Fall Conference Registration ENDS
October 24, 2025 - State Food Science CDE Mandatory Registration ENDS
October 24, 2025 - Special Accommodation Form DUE for State Food Science CDE
October 24, 2025 - State Job Interview LDE Materials DUE
October 25, 2025 - State Ag Sales Results DUE
October 25, 2025 - State Ag Ed Lesson Plans DUE
October 27, 2025 - LLCC Fall Middle School Registration & Food Allergy Form ENDS
October 29 - November 1, 2025 - National FFA Convention, Indianapolis, IN
October 31, 2025 - IAVAT & NAAE Dues DUE
October 31, 2025 - Richland College Fall Middle School Registration & Food Allergy Form ENDS
November 1, 2025 - Administrators' Approval of FFA Rosters DUE
November 3, 2025 - Belonging & Engagement Virtual Meeting at 3:30 p.m.
November 3, 2025 - IL FFA Alumni WLC & Ground Zero Conferences Scholarship Applications & Letter of Recommendations from Teachers DUE
November 5, 2025 - 100th Committee Virtual Meeting at 3:30 p.m.
November 6, 2025 - Virtual IAVAT Board Meeting, 3:30-5:00
November 7, 2025 - State Food Science CDE, Joliet Junior College, 1215 Houbolt Rd, Joliet, IL
November 8, 2025 - IL FFA Alumni and Supporters Council Meeting, IL FFA Center, Springfield
November 8, 2025 - State Ag Education, Ag Sales, and Job Interview LDEs, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
November 11, 2025 - IL FFA Center CLOSED for Holiday
November 10, 2025 - BUILD Conference Registration & Food Allergies Form ENDS
November 10, 2025 - Fall Middle School Conference, LLCC, Trutter Center, 5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL
November 13, 2025 - Fall PAS Conference, Illinois State University, 100 N University St, Normal, IL
November 14, 2025- Fall Middle School Conference, Richland Community College, 1 College Park, Decatur, IL
November 17 - 21 , 2025 - Chapter Visits - Sections 1, 3, 7, 8, 19
November 22, 2025 - Mandatory Registration for State Dairy Foods CDE ENDS
November 22, 2025 - Early Bird Registration ENDS for State Agronomy CDE
November 22, 2025 - Special Accommodation Form for State Dairy Foods & State Agronomy CDEs DUE
November 24 - 25, 2025 - BUILD Conference, Illinois State University, Bone Student Center, 200 N University St, Normal, IL
November 26, 2025 - IL FFA Center Closes at 12:30 p.m.
November 27 - 28, 2025- IL FFA Center Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
December 8, 2025 - Agricultural Skills Showcase Written Reports DUE
December 12, 2025 - 100th Committee Virtual Meeting at 3:30 p.m.
December 23, 2025 - Illinois FFA Center Closes at 12:30 p.m. for Christmas/New Year’s Holiday
December 24-1, 2026 - IL FFA Center Closed for the Holidays
-- Mindy Bunselmeyer
Illinois FFA Center
Phone: 217-753-3328
Cell: 217-412-5646
Email: mbunselmeyer@illinoisffa.org
Address: 3221 Northfield, Springfield, IL 62702