On the Record: Robert Jones
The chancellor of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana started on a sharecrop farm in the segregated South of the 1950s. An FFA background launched his incredible journey.
Winter 2018: FFA in the USA
Here are some of the important and exciting things happening in FFA chapters around the country.
Montana Member Gets Serious About Soil
FFA member Kate Indreland sees soil health as the path to a better world.
How to Support Your FFA Advisor
FFA advisors have a lot on their plates, but they don’t have to do it all alone. FFA advisors and supporters share some simple ways you can help.
Quiz: Meet Our Members
How much do you know about our FFA membership? Pick the right answers in this multiple-choice quiz.
3 Great ‘Grants for Growing’ Projects
Does your chapter need funds to develop or improve an agricultural education project? You’re in luck.
This Nevada Chapter is Primed for Pomegranates
The Moapa Valley FFA Chapter in Overton, Nev. have a 40-acre farm with pomegranates, a hydroponic greenhouse, cattle and more.
This FFA Member Is Knocking Out Hunger
Meet Mason Finocchio, a 2018 national FFA proficiency finalist, who has taken a stand against hunger in his community. Most kids Mason Finocchio’s age are thinking about college, future careers and their plans for Friday night. Finocchio thinks about those things, too, but his primary concern is helping the less fortunate. “I found out that in my community, the poverty level is 18 percent, which is 4 percent higher than the national average,” says Finocchio. “Because of that, I decided to start a project through FFA dedicated to knocking out hunger in our community.” The recent graduate of Bald Eagle Area High School in Howard, Pa., was a finalist at the 2018 National FFA Convention & Expo for his proficiency in community development. Through this proficiency, which began in 2015, Finocchio raised nearly $10,000 to provide nutritious meals for students when they weren’t in school, as well as $500 for healthy snacks and 938 pounds of canned goods. By applying for the FFA Food for All grant, he has also involved his community with the project [...]
A Peculiar Proficiency With Llamas and Peacocks
This 2018 national FFA proficiency finalist shows the exotic side of agriculture. There are many FFA members who can say they grew up with livestock, whether it’s cattle or pigs, sheep or chickens. Not many can say they cared for llamas and peacocks in their childhood, however. One of this year’s Specialty Animal Production Proficiency Award finalists grew up with these exotic animals and incorporated them into her FFA experience. Cassidy Hacker of the Sleepy Eye FFA Chapter in Minnesota said her father started the family’s llama operation when he bought a pair for her mother. When Hacker was 3 years old, she started caring for the llamas. A few years later, around kindergarten age, Hacker acquired the peacocks. “I went to an exotic bird sale with my dad,” she says. “They were so beautiful. I fell in love with them and decided I wanted to raise them.” Hacker is known as the Llama Girl in her area because she brings the llamas to community events. “I bring the llamas to county fair,” she says. “I bring [...]
2018-19 National FFA Officer Team Elected at the 91st National FFA Convention & Expo
Meet the 2018-19 National FFA Officers.
