Q&A: Celebrate National FFA Week

 

A: As a lifelong family farmer and U.S. Senator for Iowa, I take every opportunity to serve as a voice for American agriculture. The bipartisan resolution to establish February 18-25, 2023 as National FFA Week provides a platform for this student-led organization to toot its own horn and celebrate its mission of educating the next generation of leaders in American agriculture. This vital sector of the U.S. economy not only puts food on America’s tables, it spans a diverse range of jobs, from farmers working in the field and tending livestock to plant geneticists researching pesticide and disease tolerance, mechanical engineers solving problems in refrigeration, robotics and renewable fuels and entrepreneurs pushing innovation along the food supply chain. The National FFA Organization has operated under federal charter since 1950 when President Truman signed legislation into law following World War II. History tells us how depleted food supplies forced German soldiers to eat horses, dogs and rats to survive, starkly demonstrating how food security is national security.

 

With its core mission to provide agricultural education and leadership development, the National FFA Organization is thriving and growing in classrooms across the country. In 2023, nearly 851,000 members ages 12 to 21 participate in 8,995 chapters across the United States, making FFA the world’s largest agricultural youth organization. Here in Iowa, 257 student chapters have more than 18,600 members. The school-based curriculum also offers students vocational experience through supervised agricultural experience programs, public speaking opportunities, community service and events in career and leadership development to explore opportunities in agricultural sciences, sales, mechanics, farm management, animal science, natural resources and more. 

 

 

A: George Washington was America’s first president and a farmer. After leaving the presidency, his work to pursue scientific advances in farming, conservation and mechanization is chronicled in his diaries. National FFA week coincides with Washington’s birthday to recognize his pioneering contributions to American agriculture. Two centuries later, another farmer made his way to the White House when President Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976. President Carter is also the only U.S. President who was a member of the National FFA Organization. He is one of five sitting U.S. presidents to speak at the National FFA Convention, including Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump. This year, the National FFA Organization celebrates its 95^th anniversary and for the last nine decades Americans have come to recognize its iconic colors, national blue and corn gold, on the blue corduroy jackets worn by FFA members. Throughout my service representing Iowans in Washington, D.C., I’m pleased to welcome legions of Iowa FFA members when they visit the nation’s capital. It is an honor to learn about their ideas for American agriculture and answer their questions about public policy and leadership. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I’ll keep these young people in mind as Congress writes the new Farm Bill so that the farm safety net works as intended to protect U.S. food security, way of life and prosperity in Rural America. As President Eisenhower told the attendees at the national convention in 1953, “The interests of you young men and women here cannot be limited, isolated, or described by any single term such as ‘agriculture.’ Your vision in the coming years must range beyond your immediate problems and your home communities. Your vision must encompass the entire globe.” By mid-century, the world will need to feed 9 billion people. Like the pioneering spirit of George Washington, American agriculture is called to rise to the challenge and sustainably improve productivity that will fuel and feed the planet for generations to come. The National FFA Organization is an integral part of educating our future leaders in diverse agricultural careers in science, business and technology. I applaud the work of FFA educators, advisers, alumni and student leaders to build strong communities, a resilient nation and a sustainable world.