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More than just a blue jacket May 8, 2008 - No reporter cited

Dewayne Holloway
Sports Editor

Most people see a blue corduroy jacket and snicker as they see a group of country bumpkins.

The truth is they have probably just witnessed a gathering of several future leaders of their community or more.

The FFA, or as most people know it, The Future Farmers of America is a nation wide organization that boasts a membership that exceeds 500,000 members at the end of 2007. There are 7,358 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The name was officially changed to The National FFA Organization in 1988 to reflect the expanding career field of Agricultural Education, but the organization still serves the same purpose in the lives of its members.

The FFA started with 33 young farmboys gathered in a Baltimore Hotel room in Kansas City in 1928. The young men sought to bring together students, teachers and agribusiness to solidify support for agricultural education. In 1950, the United States Congress issued the FFA a federal charter and in 1998, the 105th Congress of the United States reviewed and passed technical amendments. This gives the organization the ability to help the future leaders in agriculture while compelling the organization to instill certain positive values in its members.

It seeks to promote pride in the rural way of life and fostering a patriotic desire to focus the member’s efforts in the fields of agriculture.

The FFA is not just for farm kids. In fact, rural members make up a minority of members representing only 27 percent of its membership. The largest group of members are in rural-non farm areas with 39 percent and urban and suburban areas making up 34 percent of its members. 11 of the 20 largest cities in the United States boast of FFA chapters including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Members of local chapters are required to take part in SAEs. Supervised Agriculture Experience projects involve hands-on application of concepts and principles learned in the agricultural education classroom, with guidelines for the SAE projects governed by the state FFA delegation.

Around here we know these as show teams. Students care for and present their cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and numerous other animals. The show animals provide the students with an opportunity to learn to care for and sale livestock.

However, if you examine what the FFA has to offer, students can take part in everything from veternary science to lawn care. Anything that helps a student take what they have learned in their agricultural-vocational classrooms can be used as a project.

Most of us may not be able to look past the blue jacket that they wear, but that jacket means a lot to those who wear them. Members can start out with a Discovery FFA degree in middle school, but most begin as greenhands in the ninth grade and they can work their way to an American degree which is awarded by the National Organization.

The blue jacket is actually National Blue corduroy and Corn Gold. It is the most recognizable symbol of the FFA and represents everything to its members.
Don’t think that the FFA restricts the opportunities of its members. Although agriculture is the focus of the FFA, its members have gone on to excel in all areas of life from President of the United States (President Jimmy Carter) to athlete ( Bo Jackson, Sterling Marlin) to Musician ( Trace Adkins, Don Henley) and the list goes on and on. Who knows you might even find a newpaper publisher among the ranks of their alumni.

So before you snicker at those kids in blue jackets remember they are the future of our country and will provide more than just the food that you may eat in the future.

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