FFA Member Opportunities & Awards

FFA Award Programs Are real life tests of what you learn in the classroom. They are designed to increase your self confidence, build pride and recognize your outstanding accomplishments. FFA awards look terrific on job, college and scholarship applications.

FFA Degrees As you advance in FFA you can earn a series of “degrees” that represent your accomplishments. Each degree represents progress in leadership, agriculture education and your SAE. There are four main degrees a member may earn. – The Greenhand FFA Degree – The Chapter FFA Degree – The State FFA Degree – The American FFA Degree

Greenhand FFA Degree Is for first year agriculture education students. To earn the degree you must…. 1. Maintain a satisfactory grade while enrolled in Introduction to Agriculture course. 2. Have plans for an SAE program. 3. Have learned the FFA Motto. 4. Have Learned the FFA Salute. 5. Have Learned the FFA Creed. 6. Have Learned the meaning of the FFA emblem and colors.

Greenhand FFA Degree 7. Have learned the FFA code of ethics and proper use of the Jacket. 8. Have studied the organizations history, the chapter constitution, and the chapters POA. 9. Have submitted a written application for the degree.

Chapter FFA Degree 1. Hold the Greenhand FFA Degree. 2. Have satisfactorily completed at least two semesters of agriculture course work. 3. Have earned at least $150 or worked at least 45 unpaid hours outside of class time in and SAE program. 4. Have lead a group discussion and have demonstrated five procedures of parliamentary law. 5. Have a satisfactory scholastic record. 6. Have submitted a written application for the degree.

State FFA Degree 1. Hold the Greenhand and the Chapter FFA Degrees. 2. Have been an active FFA member for two years. 3. Have satisfactorily completed at least two years (360 hrs) of agriculture course work. 4. Have earned and productively invested $1500 dollars or worked 450 unpaid hours outside of class time in an SAE project. 5. Have participated in at least five activities above the chapter level. 6. Have a satisfactory scholastic record. (2.0 or better) 7. Have submitted a written application.

American FFA Degree Hold the state FFA degree. Have been an active FFA member for at least 36 months. Have completed at least three years of agriculture course work. Have graduated from high school at least a year prior to the convention the degree is awarded. Have earned and productively invested at least $7,500 dollars or have earned $1,500 dollars and worked at least 2,250 unpaid hours outside of class time in an SAE.

American FFA Degree Have obtained a high school scholastic record of at least a “C” or better. Have submitted a written application for the Degree.

FFA Scholarships Each year the National FFA Organization awards more than $2 million in scholarships to members. FFA scholarships take into account not just your grades but also your community service, your FFA involvement, your leadership skills and your SAE.

Career Development Events CDE’s build on what you learn in your agriculture classes. The events are designed to help prepare you for a career. They let you practice making decisions, and deal with both competition and teamwork.

Career Development Events They teach you technical knowledge, problem solving, critical thinking and information processing skills. You will learn how to cooperate and compete in the real world and more than likely, you will make some good friends in the process as well.

Career Development Events Agriculture Mechanics: This event tests your skills and knowledge of engines, welding, carpentry, electricity, farm equipment and machinery, tools, plumbing, and concrete.

Career Development Events Agriculture Sales and Service: You demonstrate the professional sales process, including customer relations, advertising, telephone skills, and product display and market analysis.

Career Development Events Agronomy: Students identify seeds, insects, soils, weeds and crops, they solve fertilizer and irrigation problems.

Career Development Events Farm Business Management: Students apply economic principles to agriculture. They complete a written exam and solve farm management problems.

Career Development Events Floriculture: Students identify horticulture plants, judge and arrange floral arrangements, Take plant orders, and demonstrate their knowleadge of plant propagation practices.

Career Development Events Job Interview: students submit a resume, completes a job application, and participates in a telephone interview and an in person interview.

Career Development Events Livestock Evaluation: Students evaluate livestock and select the animals that best meets today’s market demands. Students also defend their reasoning of how they placed the animals before a judge.

Career Development Events Horse Evaluation: Students evaluate horses based on conformation as well as various performance classes. Students also defend their reasoning of how they placed the animals before a judge.

Career Development Events Meat Science and Technology: Members evaluate beef carcasses for quality grade and yield grade, Identify various meat cuts, and place carcasses, as well as wholesale and retail cuts.

Career Development Events Agriscience Poster: Students select a agriculture topic to research according to correct scientific methods. They build a display showing their experiment as well as their findings and they present it to a panel of judges.

Career Development Events Extemporaneous Public Speaking: You present a speech on one of three agriculture topics after 30 minutes of preparation. It teaches you to think on your feet and make a case quickly and persuasively. Prepared Public Speaking: Students write and prepare a 6 to 8 minute speech on a agriculture topic.

Career Development Events Creed Speaking: First year agriculture student memorize and recite the FFA creed and explain what it means to them. Outstanding FFA Greenhand: First year Ag students, take a written test, present the FFA creed and submit a record book on their SAE project.

Career Development Events Parliamentary Procedure: Students conduct a mock chapter meeting to demonstrate their knowledge of basic parliamentary law. Agriculture Quiz Bowl: Teams of four compete against other teams and are asked random questions regarding agriculture and the FFA.

SAE’s What is an SAE? It stands for Supervised Agriculture Experience. An SAE is any out of class agriculture experience that helps you explore or prepare for a career in agriculture.

SAE’s There are 4 basic types of SAE programs. Exploratory Research / Experimentation Ownership / Entrepreneurship Placement

Exploratory SAE’s You might interview an adult who works in an agriculture career that interests you. Prepare a video about a career that interests you. Complete hands – on projects that relate to different agriculture career areas.

Exploratory Examples Create a plant hydroponics system. Rebuild a engine. Frame a storage shed. Learn to weld and build a project out of metal. Host a radio show. Do a report on an emerging agriculture technology Organize a community service project. Train a horse, a hunting dog or a stock dog. Raise game birds like pheasants, chuckers and quail.

Research / Experimentation SAE’s Agriculture is a science based industry. Expanding your science based skills positions you to enter a variety of agricultural career areas. In a research based SAE you use the scientific process to conduct an agriculture experiment. Research based SAE’s can be entered in the FFA agriscience competition. You could study various egg incubation practices to determine which methods are the most effective.

Research / Experimentation Examples You could do a range management study on various grazing practices and build a display of the various range plants. You could compare the various effects of varying pest control practices, soil types, or fertilizers on plant growth. You could compare the effects of varying feeds, supplements or other factors on livestock production. You could study how to control insects collect and build a display of the various insects good and bad.

Ownership / Entrepreneurship SAE’s This type of SAE makes you a business owner. The basic requirement is that you own the related equipment and supplies and you maintain the primary financial risk for the success or failure of the business. This type of SAE generally falls into to categories. – Ag production where you produce and market an agriculture product. – Ag Service where you provide an agricultural service.

Ag Production Entrepreneurship SAE You might grow a garden and market the produce at a local farmers market. You might raise chickens and sell the eggs to your neighbors. You might raise a market lamb, a pig or a steer to show and sell at the county fair. You could start a firewood cutting business. You could raise and market nursery plants or Christmas trees. You might lease a piece of ground and raise hay, wheat or some other crop.

Ag Service Entrepreneurship SAE You might start a machinery maintenance service business for local farmers or ranchers. You could run a lawn care business or a fence building and repair business. You might start a Landscape management or weed spraying business. You might be interested in computers and start an agriculture related computer service. You might start a custom haying business. You might start a small engine repair and maintenance business.

Placement SAE’s In this type of SAE you work for someone else either paid or for experience. A part time job on a farm or ranch. Working in a Ag business like Quality Supply, C&C feed, Napa Auto Parts, Intermountain Irrigation, John Deere or Safeway. Doing an internship paid or unpaid with a veterinarian clinic, floral shop, Montana Wildlife and Parks, the forest service or a horse trainer.

Proficiency Awards The FFA proficiency awards recognize members who excel in their Supervised Agriculture Experience projects. The awards are based on your SAE participation, growth of your program, financial net worth, skills learned, leadership activities and major achievements. With over 40 proficiency award areas there is something here for every member! Here are just a few.

Proficiency Awards Agriculture Communications Agriculture Mechanics Agriculture Sales and Service Aquaculture Beef Production Sheep Production Swine Production Diversified Livestock Production

Proficiency Awards Emerging Agriculture Technology Environmental Science Equine Science Floriculture Forage Production Forest Management Fruit and Vegetable Production Grain Production

Proficiency Awards Home and or community development Landscape management Outdoor recreation Poultry Production Small Animal Production Specialty Animal Production Turf Grass Management Wildlife management and production

Opportunities beyond the local chapter. In an effort to develop students potential for premier leadership personal growth and career success the FFA offers a variety of leadership and personal growth activities to help you reach your full potential. District Leadership School (DLS) is held each September as a regional leadership conference put on by the State FFA officer team. Students break into groups and participate in a host of activities designed to promote leadership and team work.

Opportunities beyond the local chapter. Made for Excellence / Advanced Leadership Development: Is a state wide event held each November that is similar to DLS except that it takes leadership to a new level. Some of the very best leaders in FFA present a two day leadership training workshop. Alumni Leadership Camp: Happens each summer in June. Students from around the state camp out for several days participating in leadership, communication, goal setting and team work activities.

Opportunities beyond the local chapter. State Convention: State convention full of business, learning, competition, and recognition. It includes a host of contests, leadership workshops, awards and business sessions, and special events. One of the best part of conventions is all the friends that you meet. Our annual State FFA convention is held each in April. National FFA Convention: Is the largest youth convention in the nation with 50,000 members attending each year from all 50 states. Aside from the contests the convention also offers top notch speakers, educational tours, leadership workshops, concerts, and a huge agriculture career show and shopping mall.

Washington Leadership Conference: Is the premier leadership conference in the FFA. WLC is offered for seven one week sessions during the summer in Washington DC, and is conducted by former state and national FFA leaders. This action packed conference teaches skills in personal development, motivation, teamwork, citizenship and goal setting. You will also have a chance to tour the nations capitol and see our nations government in action while you visit congress.

Opportunities beyond the local chapter. FFA Global Opportunities: FFA can take you around the world! FFA offers travel programs that connect members to the world of agriculture. For over 50 years FFA members have had life changing experiences in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the former Soviet Union.