Did You Know...

...how the dates for FFA Week are chosen? At the July 19, 1947 board meeting, it was decided that the week of George Washington's birthday would be designated as National FFA Week. FFA Week always runs from Saturday to Saturday, so the dates are selected to encompass February 22 – Washington's birthday.

Theme

Step Up to Your Best, Stand Out from the Rest is the theme this year and more than half a million members around the nation will participate in National FFA Week activities at the local and state levels. FFA members "Stand Out" by recognizing the importance of being active in their schools and communities and are urged to "Step Up" when volunteers are sought, friendship is needed and leadership is required. FFA members set a positive example with their leadership, work ethic and community service activities.

The focus of this important week is to tell America about the great opportunities available for youth in agriculture. FFA is committed to developing character and leadership skills and preparing members for a lifetime of success in one of the 300 careers in agriculture.

History

Founded in 1928, the Future Farmers of America brought together students, teachers and agribusiness to solidify support for agricultural education. In Kansas City's Baltimore Hotel, 33 young farm boys charted a course for the future. They could not have foreseen how the organization would grow and thrive.

Since 1928, millions of agriculture students - no one knows exactly how many - have donned the official FFA jacket and championed the FFA creed. FFA has opened its doors and its arms to minorities and women, ensuring that all students could reap the benefits of agricultural education.

In 1950, Congress granted FFA a federal charter, making it an integral, intracurricular part of public agricultural instruction under the National Vocational Education Acts. FFA receives no federal funding.

Today, the National FFA Organization remains committed to the individual student, providing a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Now, the organization is expanding the nation's view of "traditional" agriculture and finding new ways to infuse agriculture into the classroom.

Quick Facts

Organizational Name: National FFA Organization founded in 1928; Changed in 1988 from Future Farmers of America to reflect the expanding career field of Agricultural Education in science, business and technology in addition to production farming.

Current Membership: 507,763 FFA members, aged 12-21, in 7,439 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

41% of FFA members are female; women hold more than 47% of state leadership positions.

81% of FFA membership is Caucasian, 12% is Hispanic and 4% is African-American.

88% of FFA members are in grades 91-12, 7% are in grades 7-8 and 5% are high school graduates.

25% of FFA members live in rural farm areas, 39% live in rural nonfarm areas, 12% live in urban and suburban areas and 24% live in small towns.

The top five membership states are California, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio.

The largest National FFA Convention was in 2008 with 54,731 in attendance.

FFA Mission

FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

Career Preparation

Through classroom instruction and hands-on learning, agricultural education and FFA are making a positive difference for members every day. FFA members have opportunities to attend national leadership conferences, develop a supervised agricultural experience project, learn life skills and serve their communities with civic engagement. They are our future engineers, scientists, teachers and producers. One of every five Americans is employed in the food, fiber and natural resources industries of agriculture, and FFA members are the future of these important industries.

Programs and Activities

Local, state and national FFA programs and activities help members develop public speaking skills, conduct and participate in meetings, manage financial matters, strengthen problem solving abilities and assume civic responsibilities. Degrees earned at local, state and national levels recognize members' increasing accomplishments.

Student Leadership

FFA members elect their own officers and plan and conduct activities with supervision from their chapter advisors. A team of six national officers, typically college students taking a year out of their studies, plays a key ole in planning the national convention and other events, traveling more than 100,000 miles during their year of service representing FFA.

Industry Support

Agriculture is the nation's largest employer, with more than 21 million Americans (15% of the total U.S. workforce) working in some area of the industry. FFA prepares members for more than 300 careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture.

Southern States Supporter

Southern States is a promoter of FFA by donating over $5,000 a year to the different FFA state chapters.

Founded in 1923, Southern States now has more than 300,000 farmer-members. As one of the nation's largest agricultural cooperatives, the Richmond, Va. based firm provides a wide range of farm inputs, including fertilizer, seed, livestock feed and pet food, animal health supplies and petroleum products, as well as other items for the farm and home. The Cooperative serves its members and non-member customers through some 1,100 retail outlets and had sales over $2 billion in its fiscal year ended June 30, 2008.