FFA has record membership, looks to the future

Could agricultural education and the FFA Organization (formerly Future Farmers of America) continue to "draw record numbers of students at a time when 'farm life' and farming are thought of as bygones?" asks Mary Schulken, new rural-education blogger at Education Week. Yes, says Dr. Larry Case, above, who will end a 25-plus-year run as national FFA advsier in January.

First off, FFA has a record number of members, 520,000, all of whom must be involved in ag education. "Urban kids find it relevant, too," Case explains. "When I was young, I had a blue corduroy jacket that had my name on it and the name of my school, I had an FFA pin, and I had a manual. I looked at that manual and read it and I looked at that jacket with my name on it and said, "Me, little old farm boy me, is a part of something bigger. I don't think basic human nature changes from that standpoint. When you get a sense of belonging, a sense of achievement and self-worth, it's appealing. I think FFA creates community, and think that's important. Kids get excited about it, and it makes their education fun when they can work with their hands and get rewarded for it." (Read more)