High school FFA members in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin can compete in the 2019 GROWMARK Essay Contest.

The theme for the 26th year of the essay contest is: “What does the future of agriculture look like to you, and what skills will you need to play a part in it?”

GROWMARK and its FS member cooperatives, along with state FFA leaders, sponsor the essay contest each year to help young people develop their writing skills, learn about current issues affecting agriculture, and understand the unique role of cooperatives.

Essays will be submitted online. The deadline for all submissions is midnight Central time on November 9, 2018. Additional program details have been sent to agriculture teachers and are online at www.growmark.com/company/youth-young-farmers/pages/essay-contest.aspx.

Each state’s winner earns a $500 award and the winner’s FFA chapter receives a $300 award. Four runners-up per state each win $125 awards.