The National Future Farmers of America Organization, or FFA, is a nationwide program hosted at many high schools around the country. Members of FFA are taught valuable leadership and career skills and work hard to serve America.

“FFA is a dynamic student-led youth organization that prepares students for future careers and life after high school,” FFA President Reagan Staab said. “The mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. FFA empowers students of many ages to become the next generation of courageous and knowledgeable leaders.”

FFA provides a path to leadership and future success to students interested in pursuing work in any agricultural field. While FFA started as an agricultural organization, they have branched out to serve future biologists, chemists, veterinarians, engineers and entrepreneurs. 

“My favorite part of being in FFA is how every single person can fit in. You don’t have to be a part of a certain ‘clique’ to fit in,” FFA Vice President Davy Addington said. “There is always something for everyone!” 

Everyone involved in FFA has a common goal –  to serve their community and get something out of it. Their motto also sums up their ultimate goal – “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”

“I may be biased, but if someone were to want to join FFA I would say 100% go for it. There will always be something to do or learn every day,” Addington said. 

FFA hosts a wide variety of events to prepare their members for their futures. These events include livestock showing, public speaking, agricultural technology, food science and parliamentary procedure.

“FFA has impacted me in more ways than I can count. Going into freshman year I joined FFA solely so I could raise and show pigs, but I had no idea the events I would be doing by the end of the year,” Staab said. “First off, I conquered one of my biggest fears of public speaking, and now I can speak in front of any group with ease no matter how big. The skills I have acquired, such as self-confidence, leadership, and discipline, are ones that wouldn’t be at the level they are without FFA.”

FFA members develop their own unique experiences to develop themselves and their communities. These experiences have changed many students around the world, jumpstarting them into their ideal career paths and leaving a long lasting impact on their high school experience.

“My plan is to go to Tarleton State University to study Ag Education, where I will become an Agricultural Science Teacher. My agriculture teachers have made a huge impact on me, and I want to do the same in the future,” Staab said. “Ultimately, my life would be so much different if I hadn’t joined FFA, and I wouldn’t be going into the profession I am today without it.”