Texas FFA tipped its hat to Fort Worth in a big way, awarding staff of Visit Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Convention Center and other community leaders with the Honorary Lonestar Degree during its 97th Annual Convention in July — celebrating years of partnership, hospitality, and hometown pride that keeps the blue corduroy jackets coming back to Cowtown.
The degree honors individuals, business groups or organizations who have made outstanding contributions to FFA (Future Farmers of America) and to the advancement of agricultural education.
“Texas FFA appreciates your dedication to agriculture and to the youth of Texas,” wrote Texas FFA Executive Director Jennifer Jackson in a letter to recipients, thanking them for their years of support of the association.
Fort Worth has hosted Texas FFA nine times since 2002. As is the norm for most Texas associations, they rotate their annual convention among the largest cities in Texas. With 13,000 students (plus teachers and sponsors), the Texas FFA Annual Convention has an $18 million economic impact to Fort Worth. Citing Fort Worth’s unmatched hospitality, they will return to Fort Worth for their annual conventions in 2026 and 2027.
Joy Bradley, national sales manager for the Fort Worth Convention Center, has been partnering with Texas FFA since 2014.
“Texas FFA has strong ties to Fort Worth through partnerships with the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo as well as several Fort Worth-based corporations,” she said. “Our compact, safe and walkable downtown area with so many hotels and restaurants is a big benefit for the group, as is our genuine hospitality and ease of doing business.”
FFA members study not only farming and ranching but also horticulture, aquaculture, food sciences, accounting, business, wildlife management, mechanics and engineering — leading to careers in a variety of fields, according to the organization’s website. Photo Caption: Recipients of the Texas FFA Lone Star Degree are (l to r): Bob Jameson, President & CEO, Visit Fort Worth; Mary Wilson, Director of Sales – Central Texas Region, Visit Fort Worth; Stephanie Rodriguez, Senior Convention Services Manager, Visit Fort Worth; and Joy Bradley, National Sales Manager, Fort Worth Convention Center.
