FAQs

Students will spend the week exploring the designated career pathway through informational sessions, panels, round tables and tours. Sessions, tours and other experiences will explore topics such as: New and emerging ideas, trends and productsData and data-driven decision makingCutting-edge technology and innovationSustainability Impact of major world events (e.g., COVID-19, war in Ukraine)Producer business models and agribusiness intersectionsCareer explorationRegulatory issues and trends Students will develop a Road Map for Your Future. This will be a blueprint to guide them in taking their next steps after high school graduation.

Currently, there is no stipulation on the number of conferences you can attend. Please note that the curriculum (Learnbook) is extremely similar at each conference. The experiences, such as tours, companies and networking opportunities, are specific to the career pathway.

A selection committee scores all applications using a rubric to ensure that they are scored equally. All personal information is removed from the application, and the evaluators only consider the judging criteria outlined by the scoring rubric. You can find the scoring rubric here.

All applicants will be notified of the status of their application no later than 45 days after the application closes. All communication regarding the selection process will come from Ashli Weinrich (aweinrich@ffa.org) for Agricultural Education and Emerging Technologies and Joe Martin (jlmartin@ffa.org) for Plant Systems. The primary mode of communication will be email.

Be prepared to answer/provide the following: Applicant's Personal Information name, date of birth, email, mobile phone number, address, Polo size and gender ID for hotel rooms.) Educational information grade level, FFA chapter and ID, FFA member ID, years of membership, plans after high school and which career pathway describes the career you wish to pursue. FFA advisor first and last name, email and phone number. Documents and Essay Questions Why do you want to attend the Next Gen Conference? What have you experienced, inside or outside of the classroom, that has led you to an interest in this particular career pathway? What trends, issues, or topics in this career pathway are you interested in learning more about? What do you expect to gain from this conference and how will you use it in the future? Why should you be selected to participate in this conference? Resume (PDF, Word doc or docx). Don’t have one? Check out the FFA Resume Generator.

Visit the Next Gen webpage to apply for the conference. All applications will open on August 15, 2024. The closing dates for the conferences are: Plant Systems – Oct. 15, 2024 Agricultural Education – March 15, 2025 Emerging Technologies – May 15, 2025

Candidates must be current FFA members. Candidates must be high school students at least 15 years old during the conference. This conference is intended for sophomores, juniors or seniors in high school at the time of application. (For the conference taking place in September, it will be grade level at time of the conference.) Candidates must desire to learn about and experience the designated career pathway. Candidates must demonstrate the intention to attend college or be career-ready through work experience, training or other activities connected to a career in the designated career pathway.

The National FFA Organization covers lodging, meals and other expenses during the conference through the generosity of our corporate partners. Selected participants will pay a $150 registration fee and be expected to cover their travel to and from the conference.

Next Gen: Plant Systems – March 4-8*, 2025, in Orlando, Florida Next Gen: Agricultural Education – June 24-28*, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Next Gen: Emerging Technologies – Sept. 9-13*, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota *Conference concludes on Friday, last day listed is a travel day.

The Next Gen Conference equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to make their best next steps after high school graduation. The Next Gen Conferences are career-focused conferences centered around the eight AFNR Career Pathways. The 2025 Next Gen Conferences center around Plant Systems, Agricultural Education and Emerging Technologies career pathways.