Items in this listserv:

HOT TOPICS - MUST KNOW:

• FIERY - HOT, HOT, HOT- National Chapter Award - DUE April 1, 2025, and MUST be SUBMITTED, need a REMINDER on how to submit?  Click Here.   THAT’S TODAY!

• Please click here to see the 2025 National Chapter Award Applications Submitted so far. 

• HOT, HOT, HOT - The deadline for the 2024-2025 Illinois FFA Membership year is coming to an end on May 1, 2025.  Please be sure to have all of those second-semester students added and submitted to the FFA roster as soon as possible.  Remember that it is important to submit members each year to have the year in their membership history for the future when they may be applying for degrees, proficiency awards, and scholarships.   If you have any questions, please contact Tammy Yard (tyard@illinoisffa.org).

• HOT, HOT - The Illinois FFA Alumni and Supporters Gator Raffle Tickets are still available to sell or purchase.  After selling tickets, you can send them by Priority Mail to the IL FFA Center (please do not mail cash) or bring the money/tickets on the convention's first day to registration. Please contact pdavis@illinoisffa.org for more information.

****NEW Information****

1.  Thank a Special Teacher

2.  Spanish Creed Speaking LDE 

3. Ag Legislative Day and Seminar Updates

4. Invitation to Illini Summer Academies 2025 - June 22-26 - UIUC

5. Equine Youth Judging Contest Scheduled for April

1.   Thank a Special Teacher

On May 9, 2025, Shaw Local News Network will publish “Thank You, Teachers.” This special edition will be dedicated to the incredible teachers who shape our community’s future and prepare the next generation for what lies ahead.

As part of this special edition, we’re asking students of all ages to share their experiences with outstanding teachers in our community. “Thank You” letters can be submitted now through April 20. Everyone that submits a letter will be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card!

Thanks to their special sponsors:

Supporting sponsors:
Land Pro LLC
Community State Bank
McKillip Machinery
Newton County Historical Society
Farmers National Bank
Sublette Farmers ElevatorLand Pro LLC

Thank a special teacher today!  Click here

2.  Spanish Creed Speaking LDE 

We are very excited to be offering the Spanish Creed Speaking LDE again this year in conjunction with the Public Speaking Finals held during the State FFA Convention. Please click here for the Spanish Creed Speaking LDE Rules.  Spanish Creed Questions.  

Please complete this intent DUE by Friday, May 2, 2025, to get an idea of how many preliminary brackets we will need at the state level.  So, if you have any students who would be interested in the State Spanish Creed Speaking LDE, please click here to complete the intent to participate in the State Spanish Creed Speaking LDE.  In the intent, we are also asking if you know of any potential judges who are fluent in Spanish.  

3. Ag Legislative Day and Seminar Updates

We have been made aware of significant damages to the Wyndham hotel that have closed the property until further notice. We are currently working on a new venue for the Illinois FFA Legislative Seminar and Reception that is still planned to be held in Springfield on April 8, 2025. Further updates will be shared with those registered for the event by the registration deadline (today, April 1).

For those attending Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, there are a limited number of free parking spaces available at the Capitol Complex Visitor’s Center. Once these parking spaces are filled, it is up to each chapter to find street parking and/or a nearby parking garage since there are no additional lots available near the Capitol for event parking. Please plan to arrive in Springfield by 9:30am to find parking and walk to the Capitol.

Chapters should report to the East steps of the Capitol building at 10am for the Illinois FFA kickoff of Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day. The entire group will gather for a photo with the Governor and Director of Agriculture around 10:15-10:30am. Once the photo is finished, please wait for Illinois FFA state officers and section presidents to escort the group through security and through the underground tunnels to the Stratton building where baskets and lunches will be distributed for delivery.

A few reminders for the day:

Please remind students to bring as little as possible to the Capitol to speed up the security screening process. Be sure to leave anything on the bus that would be flagged during security screening.

Chapters are encouraged to contact their local representative's office(s) to schedule meetings with them. Basket and lunch deliveries are not guaranteed to be assigned to your own local legislator given the number of chapters in each legislative district.

Each basket and lunch to be delivered will come with a card indicating the delivery location. Each card should be signed by an individual receiving the basket and returned to the same room where baskets and lunches are picked up (or a table will be setup in the hallway if the room becomes unavailable later in the day). Once these cards are returned, chapters are free to depart.

Enjoy the day! FFA members and legislators alike look forward to this day each year. Take the time to engage with decision makers in Springfield and show them the value of FFA experiences provided to our outstanding members in attendance.

4.  Invitation to Illini Summer Academies 2025 - June 22-26 - UIUC    

Hello FFA Colleagues! As you may know, every summer we host a college & career readiness event on campus at UIUC called the Illini Summer Academies. Over the past decade, we've seen some great involvement and partnerships from the College of ACES, and this year we have several academies focused on Agriculture that might of of particular interest to the students you work with. Please consider passing along this information to your colleagues, Ag teachers and potentially interested high school students as we still have some available spots and a decent amount of remaining scholarship funding. 

For two of our Ag-focused academies (see attached flyers) we have grant funding to cover the event cost for students who apply and submit a letter of reference. Currently, we have about 10 spots remaining in both academies and we wanted to be sure FFA students had a chance to take advantage of this learning opportunity. 

All event-related information, including how to sign up, the event schedule, and where to submit scholarship applications, can be found on our event webpage: https://4h.extension.illinois.edu/events/state-events/illini-summer-academies

Please feel free to reach out to my colleague Mark Becker who is coordinating the ISA event. If you think it would be helpful, Mark can schedule a meeting with interested teachers/students to talk more about the event and the opportunities involved with ISA. 

Thank you sincerely!

Mark Becker, Illinois 4-H Food Systems Specialist

Illinois Extension  | College of ACES

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
801 N. Country Fair Dr., Ste. E
Champaign IL, 61866
217-300-8755 (Office)| +1-314-728-9007 (Cell-Text First)
4h.extension.illinois.edu| aces.illinois.edu

Learn about Illinois Extension’s Strategic Plan

5.  Equine Youth Judging Contest Scheduled for April

This year’s Youth Judging Contest will be held on Friday, April 25 at Champions Arena in Shelbyville, Tennessee. This year’s event will also feature a Skillathon where youth can test their equine knowledge at various stations. Once again, participants will be invited to attend The Celebration in August and the winners will be recognized in center ring. The winning junior and senior teams will also get the chance to guest judge a class at The Celebration. Youth ages 10 to 18 can participate as individuals and/or teams to compete for scholarships and prizes totaling $10,000. The scholarships are sponsored by TWHBEA and The Celebration. Participants are split into Junior and Senior divisions and will judge both conformation and performance classes.

The entry deadline is Friday, April, 18, 2025.

Entry forms are available online at www.TWHBEA.com/youth/programs

For more information, contact Jessica Ozburn at 931-359-0583 or jozburn@twhbea.com

**** PREVIOUS Information Shared - WORTH Sharing Again****

• PREVIOUS LISTSERVS - CLICK HERE to view - 2024 - 2025 School Year

• CLICK HERE to view the 2023 - 2024 School Year Previous Listservs

• 2024-25 State CDE/LDE Calendar - Added New Event - 3-10-25

• All Conference Event Information, Flyers, Required Forms, Registration Information (Spring Middle School Conference)

• 2025 IAVAT Conference Crowne Plaza Room Block Link

*Please NOTE that clicking Dates & Deadlines will take you to the www.ilaged.org calendar.  

• April 1, 2025 - National Chapter Applications DUE

• April 1, 2025 - Eldon Witt Scholarship Applications DUE

• April 1, 2025 - Honorary State FFA Degree Applications DUE

• April 1, 2025 - Ag Legislative Seminar Registration ENDS

• April 1, 2025 - Ag Legislative Seminar Food Allergies/Special Meals DUE

• April 2, 2025 - Spring Middle School Conference, Rend Lake, Ina, IL

• April 4, 2025 - State Dairy Cattle CDE, Livingston County Fairgrounds, 18142 4H Park Rd, Pontiac, IL

• April 4, 2025 - Spring Middle School Conference, LLCC, Springfield, IL

• April 9, 2025 - Invitational Marketing Plan Materials DUE

• April 11, 2025 - Chapter President Award App DUE

• April 11, 2025 - State Livestock Reasons Mandatory Registration ENDS

• April 11, 2025 - State Horticulture Mandator Registration ENDS

• April 11, 2025 - Special Needs Accommodations Form for State Livestock, Horticulture, and Poultry CDEs

• April 12, 2025 - State Food Science CDE, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL

• April 15, 2025 - Illinois FFA Board Meeting, IL FFA Center, Springfield, IL

• April 15, 2025 - Illinois FFA WLC Trip Registration Closes (FULL)

• April 15, 2025 - Ed Curry Camp Scholarship Application DUE 

• April 15, 2025 - Agriscience Fair Intent DUE

• April 17, 2025 - Women Changing the Face of Ag, Southern Illinois University, 1263 Lincoln Dr, Carbondale, IL

• April 17, 2025 - State Ag Mechanics Mandatory Registration & Results DUE

• April 17, 2025 - State Ag Mechanics, Parliamentary Procedure, and Conduct of Chapter Meetings ICC Required Waiver DUE

• April 17, 2025 - Parliamentary Procedure Results DUE

• April 17, 2025 - Conduct of Chapter Meetings Results DUE

• April 17, 2025 - Special Needs Accommodations Form for State Ag Mechanics, Parliamentary Procedure, and Conduct of Chapter Meetings DUE

• April 17, 2025 - IL FFA Center closes at 12:30 p.m.

• April 18, 2025 - IL FFA Center CLOSED

• April 23, 2025 - Special Needs Accommodations Form for State Ag Business Management CDE

• April 23, 2025 - Invitational Marketing Plan, by Appointment Only

• April 25, 2025 - State Livestock and Poultry CDE’s, University of Illinois, Stock Pavilion, 1402 W Pennsylvania Ave, Urbana, IL 61801

• April 25, 2025 - State Horticulture CDE, Parkland College, 2400 W Bradley Ave, Champaign, IL 61821

• April 25, 2025 - IL FFA WLC Health Profile, Signature Form, and Insurance Card DUE

• May 1, 2025 - Agriscience Fair Papers DUE

• May 1, 2025 - State Ag Mechanics CDE, Illinois Central College, 1 College Drive, East Peoria, IL

• May 1, 2025 - Parliamentary Procedure LDE,  Illinois Central College, 1 College Drive, East Peoria, IL

• May 1, 2025 - Conduct of Chapter Meetings,  Illinois Central College, 1 College Drive, East Peoria, IL

• May 5, 2025 - State Ag Business Management CDE, 2-Day Mandatory Registration ENDS

• May 5, 2025 - Agriscience Fair Interviews by Appointment Only

• May 5-6, 2025 - Illinois State Envirothon CDE, Allerton Park, 515 Old Timber Rd, Monticello, IL  61856

• May 7, 2025 - State Ag Business Management CDE, District Sites TBD

• May 15, 2025 - Job Interview Results DUE

• May 15, 2025 - Public Speaking LDE Results DUE

• May 15, 2025 - Greenhand Quiz Bowl Results DUE

• May 16, 2025 - State FFA Convention Registration ENDS

• May 16, 2o25 - IAVAT Conference Crowne Plaza Hotel Room Block ENDS

• May 26, 2025 - Ag Issues Mandatory Registration ENDS

• May 26, 2025 - Ag Communications, Mandatory Registration ENDS

• May 26, 2025 - Special Needs Accommodations Form for Ag Issues or Ag Communications DUE

• May 28, 2025 - Ag Issues Materials DUE

• May 28, 2025 - Job Interview Materials DUE

• May 28, 2025 - Public Speaking Materials DUE

• June 1, 2025 - IAVAT Conference Registration $50 Late Fee Begins

• June 1, 2025 - Illinois FFA Leadership Camp Registration ENDS

• June 6, 2025 - Ag Communications CDE Mandatory Materials DUE

• June 9, 2025 - State Ag Communications, Lincoln Land Community College, 5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL 62703

• June 9, 2025 - Ag Issues, Lincoln Land Community College, 5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL 62703 

• June 10-11, 2025 - State FFA Convention, BOS Center, 1 Convention Plaza, Springfield, IL 

• June 10, 2025 - Public Speaking LDE at State FFA Convention, Springfield

• June 11, 2025 - Greenhand Quiz Bowl at State FFA Convention, Springfield

• June 16-18, 2025 - IAVAT Conference, Crowne Plaza, 3000 S Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62703

• June 22-28, 2025 - IL FFA Washington Leadership Conference Trip

• July 3, 2025 - IL FFA Center closes at 12:30 p.m. 

• July 4, 2025 - IL FFA Center CLOSED

• July 7, 2025 - Illinois FFA Leadership Camp Health Profile, Signature Form/Insurance Card, and Obstacle Course FORMS DUE

• July 7-11, 2025 - State FFA Officer Meeting, SIU, Carbondale

• July 9-10, 2025 - 2nd Year Ag Teacher Conference, Lincoln Land Community College, 5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL 62703

• July 17, 2025 - Illinois FFA Leadership Camp Arrive Late/Leave Early Forms DUE

• July 21-24, 2025 - Illinois FFA Leadership Camp, 4-H Camp, Allerton Park, 515 Old Timber Rd, Monticello, IL  61856

• July 29-30, 2025 - Beginning Advisors Conference, Lincoln Land Community College, 5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL 62703

• July 31, 2025 - Joint FFA/IAVAT Board Meeting, Springfield, IL

• August 1, 2025 - IAVAT Section Chair Meetings, IL FFA Center, Springfield, IL

• August 5-6, 2025 - Illinois FFA State Officer Meeting, IL FFA Center, Springfield,

• August 7-17, 2025 - Illinois State Fair, Springfield, IL