FFA National Convention was held on October 29-November 1. Thomas Mussig, John Edler, and Meg Edler from Gladbrook-Reinbeck FFA chapter attended the convention. The convention was held in Louisville, Kentucky, which included awesome tours to places such as Churchill Downs, Louisville Slugger, and Louisville Stoneware. At Churchill Downs the FFA members watched horses partake in their morning exercise, toured the track and seating area, and visited the churchill downs museum. They painted a piece of pottery at Louisville Stoneware which has been in business since the 1800’s. The last tour was of Louisville Slugger where all the major league baseball bats are made. FFA members were able to see how each bat is carved to a specific length, width, and shape. National Convention hosted four different speakers that ranged from company CEO’s all the way to high selling authors. Those who spoke were Nick Vujicic (Motivational Speaker), Donnie Smith (President and CEO, Tyson Foods), Jeff Simmons (President, Elanco), and Jane Herlong (Humorist and Best-Selling Author). Melissa Heeren, G-R’s FFA advisor, was also in attendance.