The National FFA Organization and Foundation has announced more than $2.7 million in scholarships awarded to 2,152 recipients – made possible thanks to the generosity of 127 sponsors.
More than 7,000 students applied for the scholarships, with many of the applicants being considered for multiple scholarships. They were able to apply for the scholarships online, and approximately one of every three who applied was awarded a scholarship. The scholarships available ranged for either two-year or four-year degrees or vocational programs. The average recipient had a GPA of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale and were in the top 15 percent of their class. Continue reading →
In early February, an all-new FFA.org will go live. It will be culmination of work that started more than a year ago to develop a website that’s more user-friendly and feature-rich. We hope it will be the easiest and quickest way to learn about FFA ever, and an invaluable online resource for anyone seeking information about programs, applications, events, awards, applications and more.
To prepare for the 2015 launch, we invited attendees to the 87th National FFA Convention & Expo a chance to get a sneak peek of the new site. The exclusive look, at a central booth inside the National FFA Expo, gave FFA members, advisors and supporters a chance to check out an early version of the site and provide feedback. Continue reading →
This year at the expo, CSX is using FFA members’ Instagram photos to raise hunger awareness. FFA members can post photos of their favorite Louisville memories on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryKernelCounts. Continue reading →
Last summer, Paul Thieme learned about the power of one. A week of hard work at the the Washington Leadership Conference helped him focus on who he is, what he’s good at and how he could help others. He researched causes that might possibly need his skills, talents and passion.
He discovered Kager, Kenya, where safe water is miles away from the village of 3,000. Securing even a questionable state of safe water is the job of women and their children, who three times a day walk up to four miles for water. Then he found Healing Hands International, an organization that raises money through walkathons to cover costs of drilling community wells in Kenya and a host of other African nations.
“I was inspired. I was called to serve,” said Thieme, a senior FFA member at Hamilton Southeastern High School in central Indiana. “Because I have the ability, I had a responsibility to do something.”
He organized his own walkathonand called on his FFA chapter and fellow students to join the cause. Toward the end of the school year, dozens of students and teachers walked two miles, filled five-gallon buckets with reservoir water and walked back to school with the buckets on their heads. The event raised more than $7,000 for Walk4Water.
WLCis happening now through July 27. This year’s Day of Service each week will feature FFA members packing 400,000 meals of chicken, rice and macaroni and cheese for distribution in the greater D.C. area.
WLC is sponsored by title sponsors Monsanto and CSX and weekly sponsors TransCanada, Crop Production Services and Farm Credit. Each week’s Day of Service is supported by Land O’Lakes, RAM Truck, Elanco, Nationwide Insurance Foundation and Tractor Supply Co.
We have a cool campaign that launched Monday to raise awareness of FFA from the nation’s capital to Washington state this summer.
Eight Major League Baseball teams – the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals – will host FFA Day at the Ballpark games this summer. Continue reading →
To kick off 2014 National FFA Week, Kentucky businessman Don Ball shares details about a new $500,000 endowment that he and wife Mira recently established for the National FFA Organization with National FFA officers Mitch Baker of Tennessee (left) and Steven Brockshus of Iowa at Ball’s home in Lexington, Ky. (Photo by Wales Hunter/National FFA Organization)
Thanks to the generosity of a philanthropy-focused Kentucky couple, deserving FFA members will be getting a gift of blue for years to come.
Don and Mira Ball, who co-founded Lexington, Ky.-based custom home-building company Ball Homes more than 50 years ago, kicked off 2014 National FFA Week by inviting some National FFA and Kentucky FFA officers to their home and share details about an endowment they created to support the National FFA Organization’s Give the Gift of Blue campaign. Continue reading →
As one of the ten National Days of Service sites at this year’s Convention, 360 FFA members joined National Safe Place, CSX Transportation, City Year, and Dignity U Wear to hold a clothing drive for kids around the country in need of brand-new clothes.
By Becca Harrison, Newsroom and Media Relations Intern
“You’ve clearly never been in the shoes of someone with only one pair of clothes, have you?” one young FFA member asked her peer, who was not taking their clothing drive volunteer opportunity seriously. “We’re gonna do this, and we’re gonna do it right,” she told him, as they began their assigned duty of sorting through boxes of men’s pants.
This attitude of determination and motivation echoed throughout the opening activity of the National Safe Place session of the National Days of Service celebration. A record high 1,500 FFA members will participate in this year’s National Days of Service, held at ten different sites throughout the 86th National FFA Convention & Expo.
University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino shared his plays to become strong leaders by implementing five characteristics of his “one-day contract” at the 86th National FFA Convention & Expo.
By Caroline Weihl
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — FFA students are very involved. Whether they are in service clubs collecting donations in their local community or competing for state championships on competitive sports team, members are eager to be involved and excel in what they do.
Many busy students view attending convention as a hiatus from their commitments at home. That does not always prove true. Attendees did not anticipate they would receive a coaching lesson within their first few moments in the city.
University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino joined students to inspire them as “recruits” in life and to live by his “one-day contract” at the first general session of the 86th National FFA Convention & Expo at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Ky.
If you’ve been part of a team, group project or committee, you probably noticed that some people seem as if they were “born to lead.” Or maybe your friend can play the guitar or is an amazing artist. We all have our own unique talents, and these strengths can be used in many ways. When we identify our own natural abilities, we can focus on doing what we do best, but our team will also be able to accomplish more. The benefits of assessing your talents and strengths can help you succeed now, as well as launch a lifetime of achievement.
Dr. J. Scott Vernon is a professor in the Agricultural Education and Communications Department at Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo. A former California FFA member, he is president of the Livestock Publications Council, serves on the advisory board of the AgChat Foundation, and is founder and executive director of “I Love Farmers … They Feed My Soul.”
“Because of my leadership development, I recognize that you cannot lead unless there is a team,” Vernon says. “You must recognize your role in a team in order to optimize your leadership. You cannot do it alone.”
The best way to be a successful team member starts with knowing what you can contribute. Here are a few ways to assess your talents and strengths.
The National FFA Organization and Foundation has announced more than $2.7 million in scholarships awarded to 2,152 recipients – made possible thanks to the generosity of 127 sponsors.
He organized his own 
National FFA Organization Blog 