Items in this listserv:
ALWAYS HERE: includes information that remains relevant from week to week. New updates are added as needed.
Illinois FFA Board Reports
Illinois FFA 100th Anniversary Memorabilia - 📋 Click here to complete the form
HOT TOPICS = MUST KNOW
SPICY - GREAT FLAVOR - GOOD TO BE REMINDED: REMINDER - Harvest for All Program for the 2025–2026 - 8/26/2025 Listserv
HOT, HOT, HOT - National FFA Scholarship Application is DUE January 15, 2026. Apply today!
HOT, HOT, HOT - JudgingCard will show zero on AET because you have to pay IL FFA for these events. Please download the invoice; it’ll show where to mail the payment. If you register for CDE, then the balance will have an amount, and you’ll pay JudgingCard. Instructions for finding your invoice.
Getting Warmer - 2026 State Officer Parent & Candidate Officer Orientation - Please RSVP for the candidate orientation. Click here to RSVP to attend the 2026 Parent & Candidate Orientation on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
Getting Warmer - 2026 Illinois FFA Selection Committee - GREAT opportunity for your students - 12.2.2025 listserv
Luke Warm - Section President Candidate Orientation and Mandatory Survey - 12.2.2025 listserv
LUKE Warm - National Chapter Award - DUE April 1, 2026, and MUST be SUBMITTED.
****NEW Information****
Illinois FFA Distinguished Service Award
Message for UIC Retzy College of Pharmacy
STEAM Education Experiences
IAA Scholarship
AET Photo Limit Updates
Harvest For All
Illinois FFA Distinguished Service Award
The Nomination Process:
Any current member of the FFA/IAVAT Board can submit nominations. Nominations will be forwarded to the Review Committee, which is made up of representatives from the FFA Board, IAVAT Board, and Illinois FFA Center staff.
Form to be submitted: Click here
Number of Awardees:
In order to maintain the prestige of the recognition, it is recommended, but not required, that the number of Distinguished Service awards be limited to two recipients per year.
Individuals nominated for the Distinguished Service award should have a statewide impact. This should be indicated in the application. This impact/involvement will vary greatly from candidate to candidate but not be overlooked in the application.
Eligibility:
The award is limited to friends of the FFA, with over 20 years of service to the organization. Award winners from the previous year(s) are ineligible.
Any agriculture teacher who has taught over 20 years and upon retirement continues to support Illinois Agricultural Education for 5 years or more.
Criteria:
Exemplary Achievement and Performance:
Examples could include, but are not limited to:
Golden Owl State Winner
Honorary Degrees - American, State
National FFA VIP Citation
Excellence in Personal Interaction:
Examples could include, but are not limited to:
Individual has volunteered countless hours to the State FFA Organization.
American FFA Degree application judge
American FFA Degree Interview Judge
CDE/LDE judge
CDE/LDE Host or host site coordinator
State FFA Degree application review team
Event Volunteer
State Convention
State Fair
Corn Congress
Camp or Conference
Chapter Visits
STAR Conference
Outstanding Education Support/Initiative and Creativity:
Examples could include, but are not limited to:
Member of ILCAE
Member of ICAE
Member of Illinois FFA Alumni & Supporters State Council
Member of the Illinois Foundation FFA Board
The individual has served on a State FFA committee.
The individual has made a substantial financial contribution to the State FFA Organization.
The individual has helped secure multi year financial commitments.
In-kind support, including mentorship, communication and marketing support.
Individuals have created or implemented new learning experiences for the benefit of the State FFA Organization, its members, advisors, and/or staff.
Distinguished Award Review Committee: 1 State Staff, 1 Adult FFA Board, 1 IAVAT Board Rep, 2 FFA Bd Students
Application Deadline: April 1
Message for UIC Retzy College of Pharmacy
The UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy is hosting an exciting program for high school and college students who may be interested in learning more about pharmacy as a profession, especially in a rural setting. I wanted to make sure to share this opportunity with you so that you could pass this information along to any students who might be interested.
This camp is a free, half-day experience designed to introduce students to the field of pharmacy, with an emphasis on serving as a healthcare professional in rural communities. Students will have the opportunity to explore the variety of career paths within the profession and learn more about what a career in pharmacy can look like.
Registration is now open, and space is limited, so we encourage students to register early.
More information and the registration link can be found on our website:
https://pharmacy.uic.edu/events/rural-pharmacy-camps/
Please share with interested students.
If you have any questions about the camps, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at khicks@uic.edu.
Thank you for helping us spread the word!
Thanks, Kanesha Hicks, MS, She/Her, Assistant Director of Rural Pharmacy Initiatives College Recruiter - UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy; P: (815) 395-5749; E: khicks@uic.edu
STEAM Education Experiences
Kidzeum in downtown Springfield, is embarking on an exciting, grant-funded project to create a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) education center. Kidzeum is putting out a call for participation that extends to constituents in Springfield and surrounding communities. Anyone who has an interest in expanding STEM/STEAM programs for children is welcome to participate. The project gets underway in February with two opportunities for the community to help us begin the process of collaboration and co-design of the new Kidzeum STEAM Center. (Details attached.)
Click here to see the press release.
IAA Scholarship
The 2026 Scholarship Application is OPEN! The lineup includes more than $340,000 in tuition support.
Apply Online
Application link and all supporting materials can be found at www.iaafoundation.org Please read all instructions carefully and refer to the FAQ document on the website to help answer any questions. If answers cannot be found there, then please direct questions to our office.
Watch the Deadline
All applications must be completed online by end of day February 15,, no exceptions. Many students wait until the last minute to complete. There are no exceptions for late applications.
Supporting the Future of Agriculture
As the charitable arm of the Illinois Farm Bureau, our Mission is to fund education, research, and charitable activities that benefit Illinois farm families and agriculture. We are proudly offer scholarship opportunities for students pursuing degrees related to agriculture, and those with family farming backgrounds.
AET Photo Limit Updates:
Sean sent an email to all advisors on Friday outlining the new photo limit updates for all State Degree and Proficiency applications. Since that email, additional changes have been made. AET has made updates to the current photo system, each SAE project is now limited to 20 photos per project when submitted for an application. For example, a Vegetable Production Proficiency application with 3 total projects would have a maximum of 60 photos, 20 per project. These 20 photos that are pulled are the 20 most recently added to the student portfolio. As you begin to create applications in AET, you will need to identify which 20 photos you want AET to pull for each project. They have also added a button in each photo that will allow you to prefer that photo, moving it up the list of photos included in the application.
To check and reorder photos:
Under “Journal”, select “Student Portfolio”
Select the Experience you want to check photos on.
Only the 20 most recent photos will pull for an application. If you want to include an older photo, you will either need to reupload that photo to move it higher up the upload order, and add a caption, or click the “Like: Prefer this photo for award applications” button.
Reminder: Only photos with captions will pull for SAE applications.
Harvest For All
Hello Agriculture Teachers!
We hope you are all adjusting back to school well and have enjoyed a few snow days so far! As we move into 2026, we wanted to send a quick note to not forget about your Harvest for All efforts this year. Below are additional details about the program focused entirely on community service.
About the Program
Harvest for All is a program championed by American Farm Bureau and lead in our state by the Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leader Committee. This program is all about finding a need, filling a need, and giving back in your community. This looks like reporting ALL community service efforts as an FFA Chapter. This could include hosting a food drive, volunteering somewhere, raising money, or anything else you see fit. Any organization or cause can benefit from your efforts, and you could even consider partnering with another school organization or a local Young Leader group for these efforts! They DO NOT have to relate to food insecurity.
Rules
From May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026, each chapter tracks dollars donated, pounds of food collected, and the number of hours volunteered for community service efforts.
On January 1, 2026 and May 1, 2026, chapters will use this JotForm to report their calculations for the tracking period. Chapters will receive 1 point for each volunteer hour, 10 pounds of food donated, and $10 donated. A minimum of 10 cumulative points is needed for a chapter to be recognized.
Application
List each Harvest for All event including the following information: date of event, organization being supported, dollars donated, pounds of food collected, and number of hours volunteered. The advisor should be ready to verify that the total amount is accurate.
Semester Tracking Periods
Events Occurring Between: May 1, 2025 - December 31st, 2025 | Form Due January 1, 2025
Events Occurring Between: January 1, 2026 - April 30th, 2026 | Form Due May 1, 2025
The application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on either January 1 or May 1 depending on the tracking period.
FFA Harvest for All Awards
Following the final tabulation of donations as of the May 1, 2026, deadline, the top FFA chapters in each section and state-wide will be recognized and receiving the following prizes:
Section Winnter – State FFA Convention Recognition
1st Place - State FFA Convention Recognition, $200
2nd Place - State FFA Convention Recognition, $175
3rd Place - State FFA Convention Recognition, $150
4th Place - State FFA Convention Recognition, $125
5th Place - State FFA Convention Recognition, $100
If you have any questions, please contact me or youth@ilfb.org with any questions about this program or application. We are happy to help work with your chapter to generate ideas or get the information you need to succeed. Illinois Farm Bureau is excited to see how you’ll impact your communities this semester and school year!
Thanks,
Taylor Hartke | Illinois Farm Bureau
Youth & Collegiate Program Coordinator - (309)-557-2834 | thartke@ilfb.org
-- Mindy Bunselmeyer
Illinois FFA Center
Phone: 217-753-3328
Cell: 217-412-5646
Email: mbunselmeyer@illinoisffa.org
Address: 3221 Northfield, Springfield, IL 62702