When I was a sophomore in high school, I remember receiving my first FFA jacket. The jacket was wrapped in thick plastic, an unimaginable amount of duct tape, and nestled in a big brown box. Even though it was difficult to uncover, it immediately instilled the idea in me that this FFA jacket was something special and wearing one made me a part of something bigger than myself.
But I won’t lie to you, my OG jacket has been through some things. NOT. PRETTY.
Sauces from lunches at a CDE contest have been painted on the collar. Caca from turkeys have dusted on its sleeves. Makeup stains and tears have created etchings on the corduroy lining for every success and failure endured while wearing the blue and gold. And nevermind the dry cleaners — my jacket has been spin washed more times than I can count, leaving a permanent purple hue to it. I’m sure there are folks out there who can relate, maybe even have their own unique stories about their time in the FFA jacket.
The jacket tells every story imaginable through our time in the National FFA Organization.
What does an FFA jacket say about you? Take a good look at your jacket, read the following descriptions, and check out what your jacket says about you.
What your FFA jacket best says about you?
Bling Jacket
If achievement was your middle name, it would probably be written on your jacket somewhere. Regardless of the “hours of discouragement” you might have experienced during contests, showmanship, officer teams, or conferences, you are proud to be a part of the National FFA Organization. There is really no denying it with all that BLING you got on! You are a hard worker, willing to take every failure, learn from it, and turn it into a success. You desire for others to reach that same success, whether for your own benefit or the team’s benefit. For the rest of your life, you probably won’t be satisfied until you have become the best you can be at a job, task, or hobby.
Vintage Jacket
You believe whole-heartedly that we are all better off when we “hold true to the best traditions of our national life.” You value the input and wisdom of those who have preceded us, or you yourself have been the one to lay the groundwork for “the future we now enjoy.” Today, people rely on you for your straightforwardness and wisdom. We never worry about you working hard either. You are often the first one to pick up a shovel and get to work; often the first one to arrive and last one to leave. Others are inspired by these actions and look to you for guidance.
New Jacket
When the FFA Creed says: “I believe in the future of Agriculture,” you are the future they were talking about. You may be new to the organization, a year or less in the blue and gold, or just like to keep your jacket tidy. Wherever you fall, you are known to be the person that is organized, thoughtful, and others can depend on for support. And the future of agriculture depends on those skills to see us through! You are the perfect human with the gumption to propel the industry of agriculture into the 21st century with your determination and thoughtful perspective. We will truly get to “better days” through the “better ways” you pursue in your time in the jacket.
Messy Jacket
Oh, you know “the joys and discomforts of agricultural life”! What’s around you or what you are wearing doesn’t concern you when doing a task, having a conversation, or working on an agricultural related project. You are fun, lively, and willing to do everything and anything to live in the moment you are in. People may think you are all over the place, but really, you are the most intentional and impactful person in the room. You spend all your time and energy making each moment count and working hard for others around you.
Borrowed Jacket
You may not know it, but you live out the words of the Creed: “… in a life abundant and enough honest wealth to make it so-for others as well as myself.” You may want your own jacket one day or may not really care that you don’t have your own. Wherever you fall, wearing the jacket isn’t the most important aspect when you think about your involvement in FFA. It’s the vehicle, but not the gas. You’d rather borrow a jacket and get to feel the warmth of a community of people and opportunities of a lifetime than spend your time worrying around for a jacket. You have a tendency to dive into situations, conversations, or tasks very quickly without a moment’s thought. You are spontaneous and willing to do what you can with what you have, where you are to enjoy life’s abundance!
Sweet-Heart Jacket
When the sweet-heart jacket first arrived on the scene, it was viewed by others as a cute and fun way for women to be involved in the FFA. But, don’t let the jacket fool you. “Cute and fun” isn’t how we would describe it. You are courageous and bold. A trailblazer for change. Your influence can be felt in your home and community which will stand solid decades past us all. Because of the act of wearing this jacket during your time in FFA, you have subconsciously changed your community and the country’s minds about women’s involvement in the National FFA Organization. Thank you for trailblazing a path for change for women all over the country.
There’s no doubt that whatever FFA jacket you’ve worn, there are some memories attached to it.
In 2018, during the 91st National FFA Convention just before the last general session, I zipped up my jacket for one of the last times. I was in my hotel room, practicing my retiring National FFA officer address over and over in the mirror.
After about the third time saying it, I was about ready to hit the door when I caught a glimpse in the mirror of me in my jacket. I got a bit emotional as flashbacks of little old sophomore in high school Bre came flickering back into view. I could see her zipping up her jacket for the first time, and I smiled to myself thinking, “Oh girl, you have no idea what’s coming next. Lean into it, girl. And wish me luck.” That evening, I hung my jacket up for the last time.
Today, I get to see students zip up their FFA jackets every week for FFA meetings and activities in my career as an agricultural educator. And I can’t help but recite the same little speech I gave sophomore Bre in my head to my students: “Oh honey, you have no idea what is coming next. Lean into it. I wish you luck.”
Whether that moment of hanging up the jacket has come and gone, or we are still living the radically influential life that FFA has for us within the corduroy, the moments that truly defined us in FFA and life were the moments in between the beginning and end of wearing the jacket.
Take a moment after this article and reflect on those formative moments in the jacket that truly set your heart a flame. These moments that may come flashing back into our minds of the good, bad, successful, and challenging moments have and still will define a lot of who and how we are as people.
And maybe you are like me, and those moments influence your why. It’s crazy to think, regardless of how long we wore the blue and gold, how big of an influence it has made on all of our lives. An influence that will always carry on long after we unzip and hang up our jacket for the very last time.
Bre Holbert is a past National FFA President and studies agriculture science and education at California State-Chico. “Two ears to listen is better than one mouth to speak. Two ears allow us to affirm more people, rather than letting our mouth loose to damage people’s story by speaking on behalf of others.”
