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MEMBERSHIP
Today, there are 506,199 FFA members, aged 12-21, in 7,429 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands.
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38% of FFA members are female; women hold more than 50% of state leadership positions
75% of our membership is Caucasian; 11% is Hispanic and 4% is African-American
89% of FFA members are in grades 9-12; 6% are in grades 7-8; 5% are high school graduates
27% of FFA members live in rural farm areas; 39% live in rural non-farm areas with the remaining 34 % of
members living in urban and suburban areas
FFA chapters are in 16 of the 20 largest cities, including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia
The top five membership states are California, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Missouri
The 2009 National FFA Convention was host to 53,473 members, FFA advisors and FFA supporters
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EDUCATION
More than 11,000 FFA advisors and agriculture teachers deliver an integrated model of agricultural education
providing students with innovative and leading-edge education, enabling them to grow into competent leaders.
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92% offer agriscience; 71% offer advanced agriscience and biotechnology; 59% offer agricultural mechanics;
49% offer horticulture; 43% offer animal science; and 24% offer environment-related
In 2001, 59% of qualified agricultural education graduates pursued teaching, 35 agriculture programs closed due
to lack of qualified teachers and 365 agriculture teachers teach in more than one school
23% of teachers have five or fewer years of teaching experience
The shortage of qualified agriculture teachers is the greatest challenge facing FFA and agricultural education
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CAREER EXPLORATION
FFA classroom activities include math and science as well as hands-on work experience and the development of life
skills helping them to discover their career path and realize success.
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Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through their hands-on work experience
Members participate and learn advanced career skills in 51 national proficiency areas based on their hands-on
work experience ranging from food science and technology to agricultural communications to wildlife
management to production agriculture
According to the student magazine readership study, 87% of our students are interested in learning about career
exploration, 81% about college preparation and 81% about technology
Through 23 national career development events and one activity, FFA members are challenged to real-life,
hands on tests of skills used to prepare them for more than 300 agricultural careers
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INDUSTRY SUPPORT
Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer, with more than 24 million people working in some phase. FFA
prepares members for more than 300 careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.
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National FFA Foundation has raised more than $201 million for the National FFA Organization since 1944
Over 3,000 sponsors provided more than $14 million for FFA and agriculture programs and activities in 2009
In 2009, 128 sponsors provided 1,801 individual scholarships worth approximately $2.2 million through the
National FFA Organization
To date, more than $30 million in FFA collegiate scholarships have awarded to students pursuing higher
education
The National FFA Agricultural Career Show covers 300,000 square feet and attracts more than 400 exhibitors
Page By: Miranda Knudsen