FFA chapter that I belong to in high school along with the FFA alumi had and open house for previous members last night. 45 years ago, about 95% of the members parents farmed, now only about 5%. My work book projects cover raising crops, hogs, ag mechanics and I also raised green house tomatoes ( this was not common then ). Now, very few have farm crops and livestock. Now many pets and horse, school now has it's own greenhouses. I not criticizing, just amazed at how much things have changed since I was in FFA
- Thread starter BIG RUH
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Hay hay hay
Well-known Member
I was very active in FFA. Farmed a little as a kid but never farmed as an adult (until I retired and my neighbors chuckle at my inept farming). However, the real value of FFA and 4H was the leadership skills, project planning and follow through to completion. My FFA and 4H learning was every bit as helpful in my business career as any college course I ever took. Our young people today, farm or city, need those skills as adults.
Not sure what the letters currently stand for; National FFA Organization, maybe. Out of the several dozen of us who 'took' Vo-Ag as seniors (RHS '62) and were, of course members of the FFA, only 2 became full-time farmers. Of the class of '63, only one farmed. There's still a large, active chapter in my alma mater, but the course is no longer Vo-Ag; don't know what it's called.
would agree with Ed, work in business enviroment, learned basic people skills, work ethic, how to compete, public speaking skills, was the most beneficial part of my high school. If they had only taught me math then maybe college would have been easier. Lot has changed, learned to butcher hogs, and cattle. Still use those skills, not sure they still teach that with all USDA regs.
Was very active in FFA as a high schooler. Many projects, treasurer, parly-pro team...
Our local fair is billed as 4-H & FFA. Don't think we have any FFA participation. Come to think of it, there may be one school in the county which even has a voc-ag program, and FFA. And I even doubt that they still have it.
Our local fair is billed as 4-H & FFA. Don't think we have any FFA participation. Come to think of it, there may be one school in the county which even has a voc-ag program, and FFA. And I even doubt that they still have it.
From their website...
"Q: Isn’t FFA just about farming, agriculture and agricultural education? Aren’t you the Future Farmers of America?
A: Agricultural education is the foundation of FFA but FFA provides leadership opportunities that extend far beyond the industry of agriculture. As the agriculture industry has changed, so has the National FFA Organization. In 1988, members changed the name from Future Farmers of America to simply the National FFA Organization. FFA prepares students for more than 300 careers in agriculture, including business, science, food safety and security and production.
DaninKansas
Member
I grew up in a rural area and went to school in a town of about 2000 people. No FFA classes - ever. The Vo-Tech classes were in a couple of mobile units with crappy army suplus equipment and donated items.
Meanwhile the sports teams had a half million weight room, big stadium and college style basketball court with a second "practice court" so as not to mark up the "game" floor.
When my dad was on the school board he was constantly getting flack for going against all the new spending for the sports teams. As he pointed out the school had NEVER graduated a professional athlete in any sport and only one or two college athletes per class at most. But graduated a number of welders, truck drivers, HVAC and mechanics every year.
Meanwhile the sports teams had a half million weight room, big stadium and college style basketball court with a second "practice court" so as not to mark up the "game" floor.
When my dad was on the school board he was constantly getting flack for going against all the new spending for the sports teams. As he pointed out the school had NEVER graduated a professional athlete in any sport and only one or two college athletes per class at most. But graduated a number of welders, truck drivers, HVAC and mechanics every year.
Goose
Well-known Member
I was active in FFA all four years in high school, and an officer in my senior year. This in a strong agricultural community where probably half of the students were farm kids.
That being said, about 20 years after we graduated, one of my classmates and fellow FFA members created quite a commotion in a letter to the editor of our local newspaper when he proposed schools scrap Voc Ag and FFA and focus on business administration instead.
His point was that kids who grow up on a farm and go on to farm as adults will develop all the farm skills they need in the process of growing up. What they need in addition to farming skills is business acumen and skills. He is now deceased, but was a farmer and a partner in a family feedlot operation at the time he wrote the letter.
Looking back on my life as a Bus Ad major in college who once farmed for 9 years, I gotta agree with him.
That being said, about 20 years after we graduated, one of my classmates and fellow FFA members created quite a commotion in a letter to the editor of our local newspaper when he proposed schools scrap Voc Ag and FFA and focus on business administration instead.
His point was that kids who grow up on a farm and go on to farm as adults will develop all the farm skills they need in the process of growing up. What they need in addition to farming skills is business acumen and skills. He is now deceased, but was a farmer and a partner in a family feedlot operation at the time he wrote the letter.
Looking back on my life as a Bus Ad major in college who once farmed for 9 years, I gotta agree with him.
I hated FFA. VOAG was a mandatory class and the instructor would give low grades to any student who wasn't a member. So I was a member under duress. When I graduated I told the instructor what I thought of him and FFA. Then, when I moved my kids back up here in the 90's I fought the same guy over my kids even being forced to take VOAG. No problem if one of my kids wanted to take VOAG, just wasn't going to let the school go outside of state guidelines for mandatory courses to graduate.
When I was in HS about 80% of the kids parents were either farmers or worked in an AG related business. By the early 90's it was less than 20%.
Rick
When I was in HS about 80% of the kids parents were either farmers or worked in an AG related business. By the early 90's it was less than 20%.
Rick
Ours is called "Agri-business". Yeah, the old Vo-Ag course was going to be shut down because of fewer and fewer students until a new energetic teacher came along and revamped the whole thing. Now it's very popular again. I was the "Sentinel" in my freshman year, treasurer in my sophomore year, secretary in my junior year and Chapter President in my senior year. "Mr President." (;>))
I go to alot of farm shows throught the country. At the shows I see alot of FFA kids there and half of them are girls. Some schools have a good ag program with a good instructor.
As far as FFA building leaders or farmers I will question that one. When I grew up on a farm in Minnesota a farm next to us was sold to A FFA star farmer of the year. What a disaster! Worst farmer I have ever seen and a nightmare for my dad. The Sheriff wish he had moved one more mile to the west. The man would have been out of his county.
Brian
As far as FFA building leaders or farmers I will question that one. When I grew up on a farm in Minnesota a farm next to us was sold to A FFA star farmer of the year. What a disaster! Worst farmer I have ever seen and a nightmare for my dad. The Sheriff wish he had moved one more mile to the west. The man would have been out of his county.
Brian
37chief
Well-known Member
- Location
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My high school discontinued FAA, Metal Shop, and Wood Shop quite a few years ago. I guess they didn't think those classes were necessary. The only classes I got an A's in. Stan
The only chapter in the county anymore Ray is out of the Career Center. The County Farm Bureau gave an award to the advisor a few years ago,a woman,but I can't remember her name.
Yup,I was Central Montcalm Chapter President my senior year,was Sentinel,on the parli pro team three or four years,went to MSU in the ag mechaincs competition,was a delegate to several district meetings,got my picture taken with Miss Michigan at the state convention as a delegate my Junior year.
Yup,I was Central Montcalm Chapter President my senior year,was Sentinel,on the parli pro team three or four years,went to MSU in the ag mechaincs competition,was a delegate to several district meetings,got my picture taken with Miss Michigan at the state convention as a delegate my Junior year.
Elton Fancher
Member
When I was in FFA many years ago I won 3rd place national in the Hoards dairy judging contest. The contest of course was in a magazine, no real cattle. Anyhow I got my name in honorable mention in the mag. Had never milked a cow. Did raise tobacco and worked on local farms. Just luck.
I loved every minute of the FFA. It opened doors that I never would have had access to if I had not been in the FFA. I was fortunate. I became a State Officer and ultimately I received my American Farmer Degree. Today, I am a Life Member of the FFA Alumni. I believe in the program. Yes, it has changed, but agriculture has changed. Actual production farmers make up less than 1% of the population, but agribusiness employs thousands. Today, I am an agribusiness recruiter. Each year, we have a demand for 56,000 new agribusiness jobs and we graduate only 22,000 with a BS degree in agriculture. We are in a labor shortage in ag. The Ag Ed curriculum and the FFA is a very important part of the early steps needed to gain entry into the agribusiness industry. We need it. Today, the FFA is at record membership. Some of our best students in ag do not come from the farm and some of our worst students have a farm background because of their attitude.
Randy, you're thinking of Merry Kim Meyers. Teaches the ag related classes at the skill center. Most of the classes are devoted to consumer agriculture - rather than farm agriculture. (Greenhouse, landscaping, marketing, etc...) But she does a super job with what she does. I've filled in for her from time to time.
I was in FFA three years and served as the Chapter secretary during my senior year. Went to school at Michigan State University and have what might be the last, or at least one of the last Dairy Science Degrees they awarded. I worked on a few dairy farms after I got out of college, taking a pay cut to do so, because the last three years I was in college I worked as a turfgrass mechanic for a local country club. I made more pulling wrenches than pulling teats. I graduated about the time President Reagan figured out it was cheaper to pay folks not to milk cows rather than buying up all the surplus milk to keep the prices up. After about a year and a half I joined the Air Force, the college degree and the leadership skills I developed in FFA helped me be a successful Air Force Officer (4054B). But then peace broke out and they didn't need airpower as a deterrence so they laid a lot of us off (cut my position while I was serving in Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield). In the 22 years I've been out of the Air Force 12 of that has been in agricultural fields (rendering plants and egg processors). My course of study at Michigan State would now be called Animal Science, in that vein I would say I'm working in my career field, but as a Maintenance Manager an engineering degree would probably have served me better. While at MSU I kept trying to take business courses and kept getting bounced out of them as I was not a business major and they were over enrolled. Could never understand why good old MSU, one of the nation's pioneer land grant institutions couldn't figure out that farming is a business, and if you don't have business sense or education you won't be successful as a farmer, or won't be able to last long enough to learn the business side of farming from the school of hard knocks. Of course watching some of the "educated" people I've worked with struggle with basic business requirements of their jobs (budget, travel vouchers, expense accounts, and business purchasing) I strongly feel colleges should require a core of business classes for any degree as most graduates will be working in some kind of a business.
Air Force? I got one you should lie.
While serving on my 2nd tour in Germany our sister (infantry) battalion was deploying to Egypt to do some cross training with the Egyptian Army . I was an E6 SSG at the time. Myself and another SSG were sent to Ramstein Air Base as liaison to get them loaded out. On our last day we had lunch in the mess. When we finished eating and left we came around the corner of a building and almost tripped over a very cute AF 2nd LT. She instantly snapped "don't you guys know how to salute an officer". My counterpart replied, "mam, we are combat arms, we are not required to salute female officers". She said " OH, I didn't know that" and walked off. I bet the next day she was all over that base looking for Doug and I. I was very happy to be back at our home station!
Rick
Dan T in MO
Member
I remember back when I was in school, FFA was for those kids who stood to inherit 1000 acres and 500 head of charolais, not for hillbilly pig farmers. So I didn't sign up.
Looking back, I wish I had given it more of a shot.
Looking back, I wish I had given it more of a shot.
wjytexas
Well-known Member
Interesting comments. My Dad was a VoAg teacher for 34 years. He covered a lot more than farming - mechanics, wood working/construction, and most of all, life. FFA taught the business and social part of life. I can't tell you how many of his former students have told me how much they learned both about farming and beyond farming. He retired before girls were allowed - said when they were, a boy would never win another stock show. Pretty much right on that. Proud to say my daughter made the sale every year at our county show!
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