Blog

Greenhorns, in partnership with Organic Consumers Association were in attendance last month at the national gathering of the FFA. The FFA National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, saw a sea of 60,000 students representing every nook and cranny of America (and its territories) gathered together for fellowship, belonging, education and scholarly competition. Between the ages of 13 and 18, many of these students are next-in-line to the family farm and occupy a strategically powerful position in the future of American Agriculture; they are kids with land. With a self-confidence rarely seen in teenagers and impeccable public speaking skills, these students in their blue corduroy jackets cut quite the impressive figure, particularly in a stadium context.
They are team-spirited, motivated and articulate, and most of them credit these qualities to the organization that brought them together, the FFA. The FFA is turning these next-in-line farmers, agriscientists, ag teachers and farm sympathizers into successful leaders, fierce entrepreneurs, and good Samaritans...for Big Ag.
This polished youth constituency at the FFA sing the praises, almost exclusively, of Big Ag. How did this happen? Lets start with the obvious place; let’s follow the money.

This video is the first thing you see when you click on the EXPO page of the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) website.  This video has nothing to do with agriculture and everything to do with image. It's the women's version of the Marlboro Man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVQubTu17qA   Is this the right role model for these […]

coming to us (and many of you, quite likely) via Comfood Comfood Colleagues, The “Nutrients for Life” nonprofit goal is to “…disseminate educational information to the general public, including policy makers, about fertilizers, modern agriculture and the role plant nutrients serve in improving people’s lives.” This project, for just 3 states: The goal of the […]

commentary? Off the Farm, Into the City By Judy Keen, USA TODAY ST. LOUIS — Andre Hall lives in the city and has never plowed a field or fed a hog, but he proudly wears the blue jacket long associated with the organization once called Future Farmers of America. Hall, 18, is among 30 high-school […]

any of you reporters out there want to cover the Rose Parade? it's not simply "farming" anymore. The FFA will be featured on the 75-foot-long RFD-TV float in the Jan. 1 Tournament of Roses parade, saluting that organization’s role in developing careers for youth. A feature before that date might be a timely way to […]

Another side of the young farmers scene... Future Farmers of America - Founded in 1928, the Future Farmers of America brought together students, teachers and agribusiness to solidify support for agricultural education. In Kansas City's Baltimore Hotel, 33 young farmboys charted a course for the future. They could not have foreseen how the organization would […]