A central part of being in the National FFA Organization is connecting with others and helping to educate them about food and farming. FFA chapters across the country have been working hard to share the story of agriculture with elementary students.
FFA teamed up with Zoetis, the Indiana State Fair, and the LEAP Foundation for an agricultural literacy project that introduced swine production to students.
“As a long-time supporter of the National FFA Organization, Zoetis is a proud sponsor of There’s a Pig in My Classroom,” said Shari Westerfeld, Vice President, U.S. Pork. “This program provides FFA members with a great opportunity to interact with young students, exposing them to FFA and educating them on how pigs are cared for and where pork products come from. U.S. pork producers take great pride in providing a sustainable, healthy food supply for a global population and it is exciting to be a part of this collaboration.”
Lining up with advocacy programming for FFA chapters, the project allowed students to share information on swine production with others and culminate with a virtual field trip to Fair Oaks Farm Pig Adventure.
“This partnership is an opportunity for our members to introduce agriculture to a younger generation,” said Celya Glowacki, advocacy and literacy officer for the National FFA Organization. “Our hope is that we can engage our students in telling the agriculture story to others and inspire a future generation of leaders.”
Those FFA chapters who were chosen to participate were:
Arkansas
Clarksville FFA Chapter
California
O’Neals-Minarets FFA Chapter
Madera FFA Chapter
Florida
LaBelle FFA Chapter
Georgia
Monroe County Middle FFA Chapter
Indiana
Connersville FFA Chapter
Franklin County FFA Chapter
Iowa
Wayne FFA Chapter
Mid-Prairie FFA Chapter
Kansas
Skyline FFA Chapter
Kentucky
Hopkinsville High School FFA Chapter
Calloway County FFA Chapter
Louisiana
South Lafourche FFA chapter
Maryland
Boonsboro Middle School FFA Chapter
Michigan
Ithaca FFA Chapter
Charlotte FFA Chapter
Missouri
Houston FFA Chapter
Concordia FFA Chapter
Silex FFA Chapter
Missouri
Newburg FFA Chapter
St. James FFA Chapter
Ashland FFA Chapter
Nebraska
Overton FFA Chapter
North Carolina
North Iredell High School FFA Chapter
North Dakota
Larimore FFA Chapter
Wahpeton FFA Chapter
Oklahoma
Mill Creek FFA Chapter
Oregon
Heppner FFA Chapter
Pennsylvania
Grand Canyon FFA Chapter
Cumberland Valley FFA Chapter
Tyrone Area FFA Chapter
West Virginia
Tyler FFA Chapter
As part of the program, chapters will teach two pre-lessons, assist with the virtual field trip and teach one post-lesson. They are tasked with providing content to approximately 100 students in grades 3-5.