FFA Influences Young Farmers

Courtesy Ashley Chenard Ashley Chenard built self-confidence by showing her lamb at FFA competitions. Now in college and the Air Force, she continues to educate herself in agriculture-related issues.

Each year during the final week in February, the National FFA Organization and its members celebrate National FFA Week to pay tribute to the agricultural programs that have taught youth about the opportunities in agriculture and influenced their future life paths.

With agriculture careers leading the pack in possibilities for young job seekers, FFA has done its part to inspire and educate the nation’s youth about fields from horticulture, natural resources and production to marketing, communications and education. The 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands boast a total of 7,429 FFA chapters, enrolling students ages 12 to 21 in agriculture-related education programs.

But FFA alumni seek more than just agriculture careers—many are dedicated to living a farm-centered lifestyle, as well.

Ashley Chenard participated in her FFA chapter in northern California during all four years of high school, where she soaked up several of the opportunities the organization offered. Now, as a member of the Air Force and pursuing an animal science degree, she gardens in her front yard and keeps a horse in the stables of the base. She continues to learn as much about agriculture as she can until she can own a small farm of her own.

“Eventually, I would like to buy some acreage and farm like my mother does, growing enough for my family and selling the rest at a local farmers’ market,” Chenard says. “I would love to raise a variety of heirloom plants and heritage breeds of livestock. Cattle and goats are my favorites!”

Also a current college student, Kelley Portner is studying communications in order to pursue a career as an organizer and promotions specialist for agricultural and equestrian events. She dreams of her future farm—one housing equines of all kinds.

“I’ve got a soft spot for donkeys and mules,” says Portner, who served as treasurer of her FFA chapter in Urbana, Md. “I would love to raise American Mammoth Jackstock, especially because they are an endangered livestock breed, and even teach lessons with them.”

While both girls feel as though FFA helped cultivate their journey in farm life, the activities they participated in during their FFA days taught them general life lessons they’ve held on to, as well.

Activities are offered to FFA members on the national, state and local levels. Each year, FFA students from around the country attend the National FFA Convention and other national conferences as well as take part in leadership activities in their home states. FFA holds competitions and offers classes that span the breadth of agriculture topics, including science and biology, mechanics, economy, livestock, and floral and nursery.

For both Chenard and Portner, FFA yielded lessons in responsibility and confidence.

“When you were in competitions, you were staring down a panel of judges, and you had a lot to remember,” Portner says. “But you had to get through it, make your mistakes, and learn from them so you were even better for the next competition.”

Chenard recalls the specific moment in FFA competitions that she learned the responsibilities and rewards that the organization presented.

“It was the first year I’d shown at fair with FFA, and I was very nervous. We were all tired from our early mornings and overheated with weather in the 90s,” she says. “My lamb was giving me a hard time, and I kept comparing myself to all these people who had done this year after year.”

The feeling of anticipation she felt as she was positioned at the end of the judging line-up quickly dissipated as the judge announced her first-place ribbon.

“I had put my heart into it, given it my all and succeeded. I knew it didn’t matter anymore how I thought I was viewed by others—only what I thought of myself and that I gave 110 percent at everything in life.”

FFA continues to support young people in learning lessons in agriculture and life, but seeks the support of FFA alumni and other agriculture educators. You can learn how to take part in National FFA Week and find tips on promoting agriculture in your community from the National FFA Organization.

As a supplement to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the 2008 Organic Production Survey, outlining sales and production practices on organic farms in the United States.

“This was USDA’s first wide-scale survey of organic producers, and it was undertaken in direct response to the growing interest in organics among consumers, farmers, businesses, policymakers and others,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “The information being released today will be an important building block for future program and policy development.”

The survey was conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Services, which collected 2008 data from farm operations certified organic by the USDA, transitioning to organic production or exempt from certification because sales were less than $5,000. A total of 14,540 organic farms and ranches across the U.S. participated—10,903 USDA-certified organic and 3,637 exempt from certification.

According to the study, the top state for both numbers of certified-organic farms and organic-product sales is California, with 2,714 organic farms and organic sales reaching 36.3 percent of total sales.

In 2008, organic sales for the participating farms topped out at $3.16 billion, with $1.94 billion in organic crops and $1.22 billion in organic livestock, poultry and their products. While most of organic products were sold at wholesale markets, processors, brokers and retailers, the remaining 6.8 percent went directly to the consumers who purchased from organic farms (2.4 percent), at farmers’ markets (1.9 percent), and through community-supported agriculture (1 percent).

Most farm operators sold their organic products locally: 44 percent within 100 miles of the farm and 30 percent between 100 and 500 miles. National sellers shipping organic products 500 or more miles accounted for 24 percent of those surveyed, while only 2 percent of organic producers sold internationally.

Sales numbers aren’t the only high-dollar figures considered by organic famers—organic production comes at an increased cost to traditional farming practices. In 2008, an organic farm spent an average of $62,000 more on production costs than a traditional farm, according to feedback from the interviewed organic-farm operations. The average organic farm spent $171,978, while the 2007 Census of Agriculture reported a $109,359 average for all farms nationwide. The bulk of the expense for organic farmers went to labor ($569 million) and feed ($480 million), followed by repairs, supplies and expenses; fertilizer, lime and soil conditioners; and rent and lease fees for land, buildings and machinery.

In addition to information on organic sales and expenses, the Organic Production Survey provides information on farm categories, practices and procedures; federal programs; production plans and challenges; and average farm incomes. For more information and to view the full report, visit the USDA Census of Agriculture.