Missouri
FFA TODAY Contents 1 BEYOND COWS AND PLOWS 3 president’s perspective 5 blue jacket brief 6 Building a network 7 labor of learning 9 servant leader 10 fall speaking contests
Upcoming
events
Oct. 7: SEMO FFA Field Day, Cape Girardeau Oct. 14-25: American Royal Livestock Show, Kansas City Oct. 24: MSU Celebration with Alumni & Friends, Springfield Oct. 27-29: National FFA Convention, Virual Event Nov. 14: Celebrate Agriculture @ NWMSU, Maryville
BEYOND COWS AND PLOWS t’s the most wonderful time of the year —FFA jacket season! Though zipping up the blue corduroy is often a student’s first experience as an FFA member, it takes strategy at the chapter level to get them hooked on ag education and FFA. Sullivan FFA Advisor Travis Kramme says timing is the key to retention. “This is my 18th year teaching agriculture education, and one thing has been true year after year,” he explains. “The students in my Ag Science I classes who get involved in FFA activities are the same students who are in our program until graduation and become four-year active members in FFA. The Ag Science I students who don’t make it to any
FFA activities during that first semester usually don’t come back as sophomores and find other programs and electives to be involved with.” An important first step in capturing students’ interest is to debunk the myth that ag education is all about “cows and plows,” says Nathan Isakson, Ash Grove FFA Advisor. Karson Calvin, a sophomore at Troy Buchanan High School and member of the Troy FFA Chapter, agrees that chapters should promote FFA as a multi-faceted organization. “It’s not just production agriculture, and
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First year FFA members at Sullivan take part in the Greenhand Motivational Conference. Chapter Advisor Travis Kramme focuses on timing to build member retention.
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