TOP Priority:  

2021 Ag Legislative Day Items

• Click here to view the listserv sent from the FFA Center

Items in this listserv:

****NEW Information****

1. FFA Center Staff

2. FFA Banquets - State Officer Requests

3. Matt Brechwald from the Off-Farm Income Podcast

1.  FFA Center Staff

I have  been at the Illinois FFA Center since March of 2013 and serving as Executive Director since the summer of 2015. Prior to my position with the Illinois FFA Center,  I was the District 4 Program Advisor for Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education for 10 years. Prior to that experience, I taught agriculture at Monticello High School for 8 years. I attended the University of Illinois, where I completed a Bachelors and Masters in Agricultural Education. My husband, Mark and I, our son Gehrig and daughter Emery, live on a farm near Decatur, Illinois, where he farms raising corn and soybeans.  I am blessed and honored to work for all of you at the Illinois FFA Center.  Thank you for the opportunity.  

I celebrated 8 years at the Illinois FFA Center on Monday, March 1, 2021. 

2.  FFA Banquets - State Officer Requests

Is banquet season on the horizon? Will you be able to have something in person or will it be virtual?  My hopes are that you are planning banquets. Please know that our officers have a great set of banquet speeches that have been both recorded and they are ready to present them at in person events.  If your banquet is virtual please continue to fill out the Request a State Officer For Your Event and we will send you the link to the banquet speech of the officer you prefer.  After May, 1, 2021, all banquet speeches will be posted on our YOUTUBE channel - IlAgEd

If you are planning a banquet in person, please continue to complete the Request a State Officer For Your Event and understand for the officer to attend your event in person you and the building administrator will still need to sign the Travel Allowance COVID-19 Liability Addendum and return the completed form to our office.  

3.  Matt Brechwald from the Off-Farm Income Podcast

Hello Illinois Ag Teachers!  

This is Matt Brechwald from the Off-Farm Income Podcast, and I would like to request an interview with one of your students.  On the Off-Farm Income Podcast we talk about entrepreneurship, and we interview 2 FFA students from all around the nation every week.  

We just celebrated our 1,000th episode, and we are looking forward to 1,000 more!  We have interviewed well over 600 FFA students since 2015, and are eager to profile more great stories of FFA students.  

What We Are Asking Of You:

We are asking you to sign up one of your current students who has an outstanding entrepreneurship SAE for an interview on Off-Farm Income by clicking on the following link and selecting an available time for an interview: https://calendly.com/offfarmincome/30min

How It Works:

• The interview will be pre-recorded, take about 25 minutes and be done over Zoom. 

• We will tell your student the date that it will air and what the episode number will be.  

• The show will be released on Youtube as video and on all podcast platforms as audio only.  

Act Fast:

We only interview 104 FFA students per year, so sign your student up quick before the slots are filled!

Learn More:

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to see the latest FFA interviews that we have conducted, and make sure that you don't miss your student's show at this link: http://eepurl.com/gQacjX

Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions!

Matt Brechwald

Creator/Host: Off-Farm Income Podcast (www.offincome.com)

Host Of The Pioneer Tour Podcast

Host Of The Corn Revolution Podcast

Host: “The D&B Supply Show” - An Agricultural Radio Show And Podcast (https://soundcloud.com/dbsupply)

Creator Of The Online FFA entrepreneurship Course: The Ag Entrepreneur

Author: "The Profitable SAE Student Workbook"

CLICK HERE to view - **** PREVIOUS Information Shared - WORTH Sharing Again****

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***DATES & DEADLINES - Remember***

• March 4, 2021 - FFA Board Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

• March 8, 2021 - State FFA Degree Review Day at the FFA Center

• March 9, 2021 - American FFA Degree Review Day at the FFA Center

• March 15, 2021 - Top 10 Section President Award Application DUE

• March 15, 2021 - Selection Committee Application DUE - STUDENTS NEEDED! 

• March 20, 2021 - Selection Committee Process Round 1

• March 27, 2021 - State Proficiency Awards Day - Click here to sign up to judge.  

• April 1, 2021 - Honorary State FFA Degree Application DUE 

  • Teacher Application

  • Non Teacher Application

• April 15, 2021 -  2021 Illinois FFA State Convention Talent Application

• April 15, 2021 - 2021 Illinois FFA Agriscience Fair Registration Due

• April 17, 2021 - Selection Committee Process Round 2

• May 1, 2021 - Chapter President Award Application DUE