FFA Reconnects With Members During AG CONNECT

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Joanna

One of the organizations that I met during the AG CONNECT Expo is the National FFA Organization. FFA was founded in 1928 and today has more than 7,400 chapters in all 50 U.S. states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The organization’s mission is agricultural education for kids in junior high and high school. I sat down with Phyllis McDonald and Rita Robertson, both with the foundation, to learn more about what they do.

The foundation’s main focus is on scholarships and grants that help students and ag teachers. One of their big initiatives is helping students go to their Washington Leadership conference in D.C. each year. Last year, the foundation provided $2 million in scholarships.

In addition to educational efforts, members of FFA spend a lot of time donating their time to charitable causes. Several of their largest programs are their work with Habitat for Humanity, and in conjunction with Campbells, their barn restoration program. FFA recently announced the five barns that will be restored this year and the local FFA chapters will be helping with the construction. And for alumnus a big program is Harvest for America, where members glean food and donate it to their local communities.

You don’t have to be a former member of FFA to become a member of the alumni organization and Phyllis and Rita were able to catch up with more than 100 former FFA members and current alumni members. They were also able to spend time with many of their corporate sponsors, who were also exhibiting at the show. To learn more about becoming an FFA alumni member or sponsor, visit www.ffa.org.

AG CONNECT Expo Photo Album

Listen to my interview with Phyllis and Rita here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

FFA On Rose Bowl Parade With RFD-TV

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Chuck

warner-roses Here’s Samantha Warner, 19, Archie, MO, putting the last rose on the RFD-TV float before the 2010 Rose Parade. Warner, Missouri FFA President will walk beside the float, which honors the association for its work guiding students toward careers in agriculture.

On the morning of January 1, 2010, the National FFA Organization will make contact with an estimated 42 million people in the United States, and more than 100 million people worldwide, through participation in the 121st Tournament of Roses Parade. Television viewers settled in to watch this New Year’s Day tradition will witness history being made, as the first-ever FFA float in the Rose Parade not only makes its way down Orange and Colorado Boulevards before the crowds in Pasadena, but into the living rooms, and into the hearts, of families watching at home. On and surrounding the float will be the 2009-2010 National FFA Officer Team, National FFA Advisor Dr. Larry Case and the four Stars Over America, along with 52 invited FFA presidents from every U.S. state, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Tune in to RFD-TV New Year’s morning at 11 a.m. (EST) to watch our special coverage of the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade with hosts Lorianne Crook, Charlie Chase and Pam Minick “live” from Pasadena, California.

Ethanol Education for FFA Members

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Cindy

National FFA members will be getting an education in the growing field of renewable fuels, thanks to a new partnership.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF) are partnering with teachers and the National FFA Organization to provide tens of thousands of high school students information about the opportunities available to them in the field of renewable fuels.

RFF The curriculum was designed to provide FFA members with details about the nature of the renewable fuels industry today and focuses on the ethanol production process, the benefits of ethanol production, the interplay between renewable fuels and agriculture, and wide range of other issues. The lessons are available through the Team Ag Ed Learning Center, a website designed to provide agriculture teachers with new and exciting instructional materials, tools and resources.

The RFF is also offering 10 scholarships to cover the cost of the registration fee for the National Ethanol Conference. More information is available here.

National FFA Rotating Louisville and Indianapolis

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Chuck

The FFA is going to be roaming up and down the Hoosier state for a while.

he National FFA Organization announced today that its annual convention will rotate between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind., for the foreseeable future.

Starting in 2013, Louisville will share hosting duties with Indianapolis on a three-year rotational basis. Louisville will host the convention 2013 through 2015. The convention will return to Indianapolis for the years 2016 through 2018. Louisville will then be given the first right of option for the years 2019-2021; Indianapolis will have the option for 2022-2024.

FFA Multimedia Maniacs

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Chuck

2008 FFA Convention I know it seems like Cindy or I are at just about every ag event out there but we just can’t make them all. One of the ones I’d love to cover though is the FFA Convention. However, these kids are doing a great job online by themselves. I know there are some of you “old-timers” who are still scratching your heads over this new media thing but if an old guy like me can do it, you can too.

The FFA news crew has a blog, many videos and lots of pictures on their site. On the video side, I think they should make the embed available for those of us who want to place a video on their website like this one below with the officer’s election. Fortunately they’re using Blip.tv so I could find it.

So, if you couldn’t be at the convention like me, just take a few minutes and get energized looking at some of the online content they’ve got.

National FFA Alumni Association Blog

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Chuck

Master agriblogger, Joy Carter, Georgia Peanut Commission, has put her skills to work for the National FFA Alumni Association. She’ll be posting from the convention in Indianapolis this week and is one of the presenters at the National FFA Alumni Workshops. Here’s a few items she wants you to be aware of:

Alumni Benefit Auctions
- Online Timed Benefit Auction running Oct. 15-29, 2008
Available online for bidding at www.unitedcountry.com/ffaauction/

- Silent Benefit Auction will be held Oct. 22-24, 2008 at the Indianapolis Convention Center, Ballroom 500.

- Live Benefit Auction, held Friday, Oct. 24, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. (EDT) at the Indianapolis Convention Center – Auction will be broadcast online at www.unitedcountry.com/ffaauction

The annual live, silent and online benefit auctions are held to raise funds to provide scholarships for students to participate in the Washington Leadership Conference and for college students enrolled in agricultural education. The success of the auction directly determines the number of scholarships awarded. Continue reading →