FFA Programs for Young Leaders

As the pressure on natural resources increases from feeding, fueling and clothing a growing global population, agriculture needs a stronger chorus of voices to tell its story effectively. To help meet this challenge, the National FFA Organization (FFA) has developed the National Collegiate Agriculture Ambassadors program, which trains, empowers and supports the industry’s most promising young leaders.

"The FFA Ag Ambassador program helps educate a broad audience on food production," says J.R. Peterson, district manager at Syngenta, an annual program sponsor. "It is critical that our best and brightest young people can effectively communicate the importance of agriculture in public settings."

"The FFA Ag Ambassador program helps educate a broad audience on food production. It is critical that our best and brightest young people can effectively communicate the importance of agriculture in public settings."

Each year, 20 college students from across the country are selected to participate in the program. These Ag Ambassadors serve for one year, speaking at local schools, colleges, FFA chapters, civic organizations and Farm Bureau groups about the importance of sustainable agriculture in their communities. In return, they receive a $1,000 scholarship, a digital camera, the use of an LCD projector and compensation for travel.

For Samantha Paschal, a junior agricultural education major at Purdue University, her experiences as a 2012/2013 Ag Ambassador gave her much more than that. One of her presentations at Mintonye Elementary School in Lafayette, Ind., inspired a new program called "From Farm to You."

"For a third-grade class presentation, I used maps of the United States and color-coded the states that were top producers of pizza ingredients: wheat for flour, tomatoes for sauce, dairy farms for cheese, hogs for pepperonis and so forth," she says. "We then made pizzas, and the kids loved it!"

Later in the year, the teacher, Barbara Tilley, developed a new program on how food gets from the farm to the table and invited Paschal back to the school to reprise her pizza presentation to the entire second and third grades.

The school has since expanded "From Farm to You" to include a farmers market day where students taste healthy, farm-grown foods and learn about how and where they are grown. VIP guest speakers, including Indiana Governor Mike Pence, recently participated in the event.

"I find it amazing how one presentation to one third-grade class led to a schoolwide curriculum that teaches students about agriculture’s importance in their daily lives," Paschal says.

The 2013/2014 Ag Ambassador team is already hard at work helping to promote the industry. Sam Tauchen, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, says, "When I share my story of agriculture, I realize what I am doing is bigger than myself. The program has been a blessing, and I am honored to join a group of people who are committed to improving the future of agriculture."

College sophomores, juniors, seniors or graduate students pursuing agricultural degrees can apply for the program. All ambassadors must be former FFA members, current collegiate FFA members or members of the National FFA Alumni Association. Applications are available each spring, with winners notified in June. Applicants must submit a video of themselves presenting information on agriculture’s economic importance, environmental stewardship, sound science and sustainability. They also must answer essay questions and provide references.

"Our goal is to grow these students personally and professionally through their experience as ambassadors," says Jenna Genson, an FFA education specialist. "Throughout their year of service, students are learning more about agriculture, building a strong network of peer and professional contacts in the industry, and telling the inspirational story of agriculture."