Teens grow a love for agriculture in FFA

• By Isabella Weiss/WVIA

Future Farmers of America (FFA) students connected with each other and the land at this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show.

With more than 945,000 members across the country, FFA’s the largest student organization in the nation, according to the National FFA website. Gov. Josh Shapiro celebrated their impact on the agricultural industry in a speech at the Farm Show.

“We have the largest number of first-year FFA members in the history of this Commonwealth,” said Shapiro. 960 strong – the future looks bright.”

Pennsylvania has 13,000 active members, according to FFA. Several FFA chapters presented at the show, teaching audiences skills like making chicken coops and apple cider. WVIA News caught up with students in between their presentations.

Sophomore Lilly Whiting and her sister, junior Jenna Whiting, built an animal feeder on stage. They’re from the Wilmington Area FFA. Lilly Whiting said the organization opened her eyes to new perspectives.

“We’re meeting people from all over the United States. And we’re learning that it’s not a part of ourselves. The world works by working together. And by going out through FFA, we are communicating with people, we’re working our public speaking skills, we’re learning about what others are doing,” said Lilly Whiting. “[We’re] creating job opportunities, traveling to colleges, and seeing how our future can benefit both ourselves and others around us.”

FFA shows kids that they can be leaders in their community – no matter their age. Lilly Whiting has gotten the confidence to teach others agriculture.

“Farmers like our family and around us, we’re helping [to grow] food…And also, being at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, it’s so eye-opening. I have cattle here. And some people are coming up to me and asking me about what breed they’re in – and they just have no idea,” said Lilly Whiting. “And, it’s so enriching to help the community learn.”

One of the ways FFA builds student confidence is through a supervised agricultural experience (SAE). Students have to create projects that focus on their career goals, like working with livestock or by engineering and fixing farm equipment.

Senior Abigail Rosenberry from Big Spring Area FFA said SAE’s help students skip past industry obstacles.

“And this just kind of gets you out into the world, because a lot of [agriculture] jobs you have to have experience to go into the agriculture jobs. And how are you supposed to get experience if you have to have experience to get there? So, your SAE, that just kind of gets you out there. And you keep a record book – it’s all online,” said Rosenberry. “I went for the State Star just yesterday, and we all have our Keystone [Degrees] we earned yesterday.”

Besides getting valuable industry experience, students can earn leadership degrees through their FFA involvement. They can apply for their Keystone Degree in their third year, but most qualify for it in their senior year of high school, said Pa. SAE Specialist Carole Fay.

“So, the Keystone Degree requires a developed SAE project, 25 hours of completed community service, FFA activities at the chapter level, and FFA activities above the chapter level.

There’s five degrees students can get: Discovery, Green Hand, Chapter, Keystone, and the American Degree – the highest honor for FFA students, according to Fay.

Students get a badge for every award or degree they get through FFA, but they only wear three pins at most: their highest award, highest degree, and highest officer level on their iconic blue and gold jackets. Big Spring’s Abigail Rosenberry, and seniors Sarah Lynn, Christian Kaufman, and Olivia Ocker showed WVIA News their badges.

“My first one is my degree pin – my area degree. And then my next one there, this is my competition pin. So, this one is for my public speaking that I did at State’s. But it can really be anything, it can be Meet Evaluation, it can be –” said Lynn.

“I’ve got a few on the inside [of my jacket]. And it’s just all kinds of different pins…from all kinds of different awards that you’ve been in,” said Rosenberry.

“Yeah, and so the last pin we all have on is our officer pin. So, mine has an owl on it because I’m the student advisor, but the little thing [hanging from it] changes depending on your position,” said Lynn.

Rosenberry’s officer pin has a plow on it because she’s her FFA’s vice president, Kaufman’s has the U.S. flag on it because he’s their reporter, and Ocker has a gavel because she’s the president.

Ocker had one thing she wanted to emphasize about FFA for any interested students.

“Even though FFA is agriculture-based, you don’t need an [agricultural] background in order to get into it. I don’t come from an [agriculture] background,” said Ocker. “And so, whenever they presented – they had an 8th grade presentation, some of the FFA members came down and that was really great to see how you don’t have to have any animals, any plants – anything like that, and you can still join and have a great time.”

For more information about FFA, visit PA’s website at https://paffa.org/.