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The FFA gives ‘Greenhands' an early start on a career in agriculture
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By Christina Knott
cknott@newstribune.com
Green hands and white T-shirts adorned new FFA members at Russellville High School this week, as the students delivered cherry pies to teachers as part of National FFA Week activities.
As the nation's largest employer, the agriculture industry starts early introducing high school students to career fields in a variety of agriculture-related areas.
“It's not easy. Most people think it's a blow-off class,” sophomore Lauren Fischer said of the Russellville FFA Chapter. “We're not just sows, cows and plows.”
In FFA, students learn a curriculum for a multitude of areas such as agriscience, biotechnology, horticulture and animal science to name a few.
And, they go on trips for national competition at large conventions that test their public speaking abilities, industry knowledge and leadership skills.
“In most small communities, FFA is one of the strongest organizations,” said agriculture science teacher Jennifer Bloss. “There is a lot of community support.”
One out of every five people in the United States is employed in an agriculture or agriculture related industry - from restaurants to landscapers to florists. Less than 1 percent of the population work in agriculture production.
FFA has also adapted its focus as society has changed. Most noticeably, with its name. In 1988, the organization changed its title from Future Farms of America to the National FFA Organization.
“We have gone from an organization for young, white farm boys learning how to be better farms to the premier youth leadership organization in the United States,” Bloss said.
Activities this past week had students introducing younger children to animals in a petting zoo, dressing up like farmers to drive their tractor to school and hosting a community breakfast before school.
Bloss said the agriculture-related field is booming with new jobs opening in horticulture, landscaping and food science. At the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, hotel restaurant management is the fastest growing field.
Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through hands-on work experience.
At Russellville, FFA members are already planning their annual plant sale April 23-27 from their classroom greenhouse.
In her spare time, new FFA member Jessica Poutts, a freshman, raises chickens and sells their eggs.
One day, she hopes to be a large animal veterinarian. For now, she enjoys FFA for the time spent with friends and the fun she said she has in the program.
“This teaches me all the stuff I need to know to work with large animals and other things if that doesn't work out,” Poutts said.
About the National FFA Organization
* There are currently more than 490,000 FFA members across the nation.
* The 75th National FFA Convention was host to 51,338 members, advisor and supporters.
* FFA prepares members for more than 300 careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.
* The United States provides food at a lower cost, at only 10.9 percent of a person's income, than any other country in the world.
* The United States produces 46 percent of the world's soybeans and 41 percent of the world's corn.
* The shortage of qualified agriculture teachers is the greatest challenge facing FFA and agriculture education.
As the nation's largest employer, the agriculture industry starts early introducing high school students to career fields in a variety of agriculture-related areas.
“It's not easy. Most people think it's a blow-off class,” sophomore Lauren Fischer said of the Russellville FFA Chapter. “We're not just sows, cows and plows.”
In FFA, students learn a curriculum for a multitude of areas such as agriscience, biotechnology, horticulture and animal science to name a few.
And, they go on trips for national competition at large conventions that test their public speaking abilities, industry knowledge and leadership skills.
“In most small communities, FFA is one of the strongest organizations,” said agriculture science teacher Jennifer Bloss. “There is a lot of community support.”
One out of every five people in the United States is employed in an agriculture or agriculture related industry - from restaurants to landscapers to florists. Less than 1 percent of the population work in agriculture production.
FFA has also adapted its focus as society has changed. Most noticeably, with its name. In 1988, the organization changed its title from Future Farms of America to the National FFA Organization.
“We have gone from an organization for young, white farm boys learning how to be better farms to the premier youth leadership organization in the United States,” Bloss said.
Activities this past week had students introducing younger children to animals in a petting zoo, dressing up like farmers to drive their tractor to school and hosting a community breakfast before school.
Bloss said the agriculture-related field is booming with new jobs opening in horticulture, landscaping and food science. At the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, hotel restaurant management is the fastest growing field.
Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through hands-on work experience.
At Russellville, FFA members are already planning their annual plant sale April 23-27 from their classroom greenhouse.
In her spare time, new FFA member Jessica Poutts, a freshman, raises chickens and sells their eggs.
One day, she hopes to be a large animal veterinarian. For now, she enjoys FFA for the time spent with friends and the fun she said she has in the program.
“This teaches me all the stuff I need to know to work with large animals and other things if that doesn't work out,” Poutts said.
About the National FFA Organization
* There are currently more than 490,000 FFA members across the nation.
* The 75th National FFA Convention was host to 51,338 members, advisor and supporters.
* FFA prepares members for more than 300 careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.
* The United States provides food at a lower cost, at only 10.9 percent of a person's income, than any other country in the world.
* The United States produces 46 percent of the world's soybeans and 41 percent of the world's corn.
* The shortage of qualified agriculture teachers is the greatest challenge facing FFA and agriculture education.
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