A corduroy jacket is not exactly the thing to wear on a triple-digit day in Texas - unless you're one of the thousands of kids in town this week for the state Future Farmers of America convention.
"We're gonna be filling the streets of Cowtown with blue corduroy jackets. We'll have about 15,000 students directly in Fort Worth," said Stephenville native and Texas Tech student Ryan Hess, an area vice president for the FFA.
He and thousands of others from the Panhandle to the Valley and from East Texas to West Texas will spend five days in Fort Worth at the 94th Annual Texas FFA Convention.
Students will compete in contests such as the agriculture science fair, rodeo and speaking events with the chance to earn money for college. The biggest benefit, Hess says, is the connections and relationships.
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"I think one of the key facts that makes state conventions so special is that all those students are at one place together," Hess said. "Whenever you see those blue corduroy jackets in groups, it's just the most impressive thing to know that you're there with other people with similar beliefs and love for agriculture and the agriculture industry. It's really like a family thing. You're reunited with your family."
THE ICONIC FFA JACKET
The blue corduroy jacket became part of the official attire in 1933. The website for the national organization says it requires 1.6 yards of corduroy to create one FFA jacket. Over the course of a year, that's approximately 128,000 yards of corduroy devoted to FFA jackets. Beyond its place in Official Dress, an FFA corduroy jacket is an article of faith, honor and pride. The jacket unifies members in a long-standing tradition and reminds them that they are part of something bigger than themselves.
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One of the mottos of the FFA is "Living to Serve," and students will put those words into action with a beautification project at 13 sites in Fort Worth. They'll also bring with them backpacks stocked with school supplies for Tarrant County kids ready to go back to school.
