Nick Carter has made it his life’s mission to pay it forward every chance he can. From 1960 to 1964, Carter was a member of the Hustonville High School FFA Chapter (now Lincoln County FFA), where he served as chapter president for two years before being elected as the Kentucky FFA state sentinel.
Currently, Carter generously volunteers his time by serving on the Kentucky FFA Foundation Board of Directors and as a judge for FFA contests. He’s also contributed more than $100,000 to the Kentucky FFA Foundation’s Forever Blue Endowment Fund, with the intent of these funds being donated to the Lincoln County High School agriculture program and FFA chapter. This money was an investment, and it’s a gift that keeps giving; each year, the chapter receives a financial gift of 5% of the available balance.
We recently talked with Carter about his agriculture background and why he’s passionate about giving back to FFA.
Q: What was your upbringing like?
A: I was riding on a tractor from about age 7 or 8. I grew up an hour south of Lexington, Ky., on a diversified family farm. We grew tobacco and raised beef cattle and pork. We also picked corn and baled hay for smaller farmers in our area who didn’t have enough acreage to justify owning equipment.
Q: What was FFA like in the 1960s?
A: It was a different world when I started high school in 1960, especially in rural communities. My father pushed me to be involved in all kinds of FFA activities — learning about public speaking and parliamentary procedure, organizing plans for supervised agricultural experience projects and showing cattle.
I didn’t have a driver’s license during my first two years of high school. I missed the first six weeks of the year because it was harvest season, but my father wouldn’t let me miss an FFA meeting. I’d leave the field to go to my chapter’s meeting, then return to the field. Sometimes I’d even arrive to the meeting in a tractor!
Q: Why are you passionate about supporting FFA?
A: When I retired from a wonderful career, I wanted to give back and repay some of the debt I felt I owed to FFA. I formed an endowment for my local chapter, and they’ve taken me in as one of their own. Volunteering my time is one of the most rewarding things I do. I love helping students prepare for both state and national contests through sitting in on their practice sessions and making suggestions. I also serve as chairman of the Kentucky FFA Foundation. We raise about $1.5 million annually to help send members on camp trips, sponsor attendees for the Washington Leadership Conference and help support local FFA chapters.
Q: What inspires you to continue your involvement with FFA?
A: Nobody works harder for their students than agriculture teachers, but the real inspiration comes from the kids. The future of our country is in the hands of our next generation of leaders, and there is no better leadership training in the country than FFA. As a farm kid, I think the best leadership this country could have is one that embraces the values of rural America and FFA — work ethic, faith and the willingness to support each other. Even though we have many urban chapters now, the values you learn in FFA are still the same. My love for my country tells me to be involved in developing its leadership in any way I can. The impact FFA can have on an individual makes it an easy choice for where I invest my time and resources.
Want to help FFA members grow, learn and positively impact their communities? Join Carter and invest in the future leaders within our organization. Visit ffa.org/ways-to-give/ to discover possible avenues for showing your support.
