FFA
The FFA Mission
FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by devel-oping their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricul-tural education. The National FFA Organization motto is: Learning to Do; Doing to Learn; Earning to Live; Living to Serve.
Membership
The FFA membership of 506,199 and 7,429 chapters represents all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. FFA is a diverse organization, operating in rural, urban and suburban schools. Students aged 12-21 enrolled in agricultural education programs are eligible for membership.
Science, Business and Technology
The organization changed its name in 1988 from Future Farmers of America to the National FFA Organization to reflect its evolution in response to expanded agricul-tural opportunities encompassing science, business and technology in addition to production farming.
FFA members, who may enter the workforce directly from high school or pursue higher degrees through technical schools and four-year uni-versities, are preparing for careers in agricultural marketing, process-ing, communications, education, horticulture, production, natural resources, forestry, agribusiness and other diverse agricultural fields.
Federally Chartered
FFA was organized nationally in 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1950, Congress granted FFA a federal char-ter, making it an integral, intracurricu-lar part of public agricultural instruc-tion under the National Vocational Education Acts. FFA receives no federal funding. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs.
Structure
FFA operates on local, state and national levels. Student members belong to chapters organized at the local school level. Agriculture edu-cators serve as chapter advisors. Chapters are organized under state associations headed by an advisor and executive secretary, often employees of the state department of education. States conduct programs and host annual conventions. The National FFA Organization, governed by a board of directors, charters state associations; provides direction, program materials and support; and hosts the national FFA convention, which draws more than 50,000 attendees annually. The National FFA Alumni Association, with a membership of more than 47,000, assists students in the continued growth and development of active FFA programs.
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, strength-en 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 role in plan-ning the national convention and other events, traveling more than 100,000 miles during their year of service representing FFA.