Iowa FFA Association Membership Rolls at 21-Year High

The heads have been counted and the numbers are in. Iowa FFA (Future Farmers of America) membership is at a 21-year high with 12,005 members in 230 high schools across Iowa. This is the highest membership number for the Iowa FFA Association since the 1983-84 school year when membership was set at 11,999. "The increase of our membership is a reflection of the dedication of our agriculture teachers and the appeal of leadership programs pertaining to all facets of the agriculture industry," said Iowa FFA Advisor Dale Gruis. "The rigorous combination of agricultural education classes, supervised agricultural experience projects, and the FFA provided by our agriculture teachers provides students with relevance to their futures and helps them to build relationships within their communities." Iowa FFA President Jenna Maubach added, "Our increasing membership can be traced to the growing opportunities in agriculture and the interactive, hands-on leadership experiences offered through the FFA. Today's members in rural and urban settings will find open doors in more than 300 different careers." The Iowa FFA Association has 230 local chapters with over 12,000 FFA members. FFA is a national organization of 476,732 members preparing for leadership and careers in science, business and technology of agriculture. Local, state and national programs provide opportunities for students to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. FFA's mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. Pictured above are members of the Waukon High School FFA Chapter.