FFA and AgriNovus Indiana Announce The Blue Room
The National FFA convention is not until October, but the details of the newest feature of the convention were unveiled on Monday at the National FFA Center in Indianapolis. It is called The Blue Room and is a collaborative effort between National FFA and AgriNovus Indiana to showcase technological innovation in agriculture. The 17,000-square-foot, interactive Blue Room will center on the challenges facing the ag community—from respecting the planet to the urgent matter of feeding the world. This cutting-edge approach will focus on experiential learning and thought-provoking exposure to the convergence of agriculture, technology, human health, engineering, and more.
Governor Holcomb joined FFA and AgriNovus officials to make the announcement, “Two of our finest organizations, The National FFA and AgriNovus Indiana, have created an innovative way for young people to explore careers in the always-evolving agbioscience industry. Hoosiers are innovators and leaders in the agbiosciences, the life sciences, advanced manufacturing, logistics and tech, and we have been for over 200 years. The Blue Room will help inspire the next generation of agbioscience leaders.”
Beth Bechdol, with AgriNovus, said the Blue Room will feature an exciting an interactive look at cutting-edge technology in innovation. “Today’s food and agricultural industry is bursting with cutting-edge technology, science and research —from genomics and microbiology to artificial intelligence, robotics, and informatics,” Bechdol stated. “AgriNovus Indiana is committed to showcasing the power of these and other agbioscience innovations whether they come from a large company, a university, or an entrepreneur.”
Bechdol added the room will show the nation just what kind of agricultural innovation is taking place in Indiana, “We want the eyes of young people and of industry to focus on Indiana and see what kind of innovation and collaboration is taking place here.” She told HAT that it will showcase the wide variety of innovation that is taking place in all sectors of agriculture.
Mark Poeschl, chief executive officer of National FFA, said the Blue Room impact will not be limited to just those who attend national convention, “The Blue Room allows us to begin exposing our members to current innovations within the food and agriculture sectors and be the spark they need to create the next big idea in agriculture.”
The Blue Room is the organization’s comprehensive vision for Blue 365, which serves as the latest catalyst for evolving sustainability, innovative efficiency, and preparing the future leaders who will solve the world’s critical agricultural challenges. This partnership and industry support exemplify why Indiana is the premier location to showcase innovation and cultivate talent within the agricultural sector. Poeschl added that The Blue Room will lead to the development of curriculum, “The Blue Room is the kickoff to Blue 365, an initiative that will bring this same innovation into classrooms and impact more than 650,000 members nationwide. FFA student members are the future leaders of the food industry, which is relying on this generation to meet unparalleled challenges to feed a growing world population.”
You can get a look inside The Blue Room by checking out the video on this website.