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continued from Page #1 we are extremely excited to have this opportunity" said Abner

The objectives for the Texas FFA Agricultural Advocacy program is to promote the agriculture industry on all levels, from local to the state level as well as educate the consumer and general public about the importance and value of the agriculture industry

It promotes the principles of agriculture such as: biotechnology, soil stewardship, resource management, economic and environmental benefits as well as the humane principles of sound livestock production and management.

Ag Advocacy prepares students to promote agriculture in a professional and effective manner through essential communication and presentation skills.

Teams consist of three to five members from the same local chapter Eligible students must meet LDE eligibility requirements outlined in the LDE general rules

Leadership Development Events focus on creating situations for members to demonstrate their abilities in public speaking, decision making, communication and their knowledge of agriculture and the FFA organization Team and individual events are used to reinforce what is taught in agricultural science classrooms.

All LDE events have elimination rounds at the district and area before the state level competition

FFA is not extracurricular The program is part of a three-part model of education that consists of classroom instruction, supervised agricultural experiences and the FFA. Classroom agricultural education is applied to hands-on learning opportunities called supervised agricultural experiences (SAEs). SAEs include activities such as starting a business, working for an established company or working in production agriculture

The FFA provides members the opportunity for leadership experience and competitions, scholarships and personal opportunities for involvement.

FFA stands for Future Farmers of America, which is the official name of the organization, but they don’t use the full name and instead operate as the “FFA” because Future Farmers of America implies that they are all preparing to be farmers. Agriculture is much broader than farming and ranching Members study things such as horticulture, aquaculture, food sciences, accounting, wildlife continued on Page #5

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