MEMBERSHIP?

Today, there are 523,309 FFA members, aged 12-21, in 7,487 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

• 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

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.

• 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

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.

• 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

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.

• 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 2011, 129 sponsors provided 1,590 individual scholarships worth over $1.9 million through the National FFA Organization.
• To date, more than $34 million in FFA collegiate scholarships have been awarded to students pursuing higher education.
• The National FFA Agricultural Career Show covers 300,000 square feet and attracts more than 400 exhibitors