This approach will not increase the total funds collected at the national level. However, it may result in some chapters having a higher or lower fee. It is important to note that dues have not increased since the 2010-11 membership year. Holding membership revenue to a minimum has been a priority to ensure cost does not become a barrier to membership.
Given that the program is fee-based instead of per-student-based, the three and four-year membership types will no longer be needed. Graduates who wish to retain FFA membership post-graduation can do so up to the age limit outlined in Article V, Section B of the National FFA Constitution. Ag teachers should renew graduated students on their roster on an as-necessary basis.
By default, all students enrolled in an SBAE course will be FFA members and have full access to the FFA opportunities. Guidance is being written to support state association management of opt-out requests of FFA membership as an integral part of agricultural education. Students that do opt-out via their state approved process are then opted-out of local, district/region, state, and national FFA membership. There is no avenue to opt-out of national FFA membership only.
Article V of the National FFA Constitution states that to be eligible for membership, “a student must be enrolled in a state approved school-based agriculture education program not below the 5th grade level”. This is the basis for determining your school-based agricultural education count.
Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or food pantry while wearing your favorite FFA or agriculture T-shirt. Pass out information about agriculture through local stores. Host a farmer’s market. Host an Ag Day Breakfast for local government and business leaders. Teach an agricultural lesson to an elementary class. Check out USDA.gov for lesson plans. Use the online game My American Farm to explore different agricultural topics. Donate agriculture books to your public library and check out recommended publications here. Grab the popcorn and host a watch party with the #SpeakAg Dialogue: “How do we best manage food waste?”, and start talking about what your community can do to combat food waste. Lesson Plan
Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or food pantry while wearing your favorite FFA or agriculture T-shirt. Pass out information about agriculture through local stores. Host a farmer’s market. Host an Ag Day Breakfast for local government and business leaders. Teach an agricultural lesson to an elementary class. Check out USDA.gov for lesson plans. Use the online game My American Farm to explore different agricultural topics. Donate agriculture books to your public library and check out recommended publications here. Grab the popcorn and host a watch party with the #SpeakAg Dialogue: “How do we best manage food waste?”, and start talking about what your community can do to combat food waste. Lesson Plan
Bring your favorite fruit or vegetable to class along with facts about where it was grown and how many producers we have in the U.S. Host a classroom field trip to a local farm or ranch or to a university’s agricultural research farm. Pass out #SpeakAg Cards around your school. Share details of your supervised agricultural experience with peers at lunch. Host a “lunch and learn” by inviting a guest speaker and having lunch in your ag classroom. Watch #SpeakAg Dialogue: “Will plant evolution surpass herbicides and pesticides on the market?” In science class, discuss what ag science is doing for the food they eat. Lesson Plan
Bring your favorite fruit or vegetable to class along with facts about where it was grown and how many producers we have in the U.S. Host a classroom field trip to a local farm or ranch or to a university’s agricultural research farm. Pass out #SpeakAg Cards around your school. Share details of your supervised agricultural experience with peers at lunch. Host a “lunch and learn” by inviting a guest speaker and having lunch in your ag classroom. Watch #SpeakAg Dialogue: “Will plant evolution surpass herbicides and pesticides on the market?” In science class, discuss what ag science is doing for the food they eat. Lesson Plan
Middle school and high school students can use this sample letter. In elementary schools, have students write, draw, or create thank you letters or cards. Students may sign the cards, but do not include last names. Send your classroom thank you notes to: American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture 600 Maryland Ave. SW Suite 1000W Washington, D.C. 20024 For more information, check out American Farm Bureau Foundation. Put yourself in the farmers’ shoes with the Journey 2050 online game and Farmers 2050 in the app store. Check out the #SpeakAg Dialogue: “Why is milk consumption lower today than in year’s past?”, and learn about what agriculturists are doing about the low consumption of milk in the U.S. Lesson Plan
