As many people do, I was scrolling through good ol’ Facebook and stumbled upon the thought provoking picture below. It says, “FFA needs a reality show like dance moms — but with ag teachers.” And that got me thinking … what would an FFA reality TV show look like? What would the title be? How many advisors would be up for the reality show? Could this be an opportunity to bring FFA to more students? The possibilities are endless.
I decided to follow my thought process and opted to set the scene for an FFA reality TV show. When thinking of an FFA TV show title, I first had to ask, how can I describe the show while still conveying a witty twist. With that thought in mind, some great options for the TV series included Keeping Up with the Corn-dashians,” “Another Day on the Farm,” or “The Barn” (shot like “The Office”).
Of course any FFA TV show would have to start with the FFA creed as the theme song: “I believe in the future of agriculture with a faith born not of words but of deeds …” The TV series would follow three FFA advisors and their chapters as they figure out leadership roles, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.
As with every “reality” TV series, “Keeping Up With the Corn-dashians” would come with its own drama issues. The show would follow the advisors throughout the school year to get a true insight into the lives of FFA advisors and their students.
With all the hard work that goes into preparing for a new “season,” advisors prepare diligently for every school year. However, can you imagine your FFA advisor vlogging for the TV series? The first few minutes would consist of the front facing camera zoomed in while trying to flip it to the correct position.
In addition to hilarious bloopers and never ending dad-jokes, there would be actual purpose for the series. This would be a great way to spotlight the good that FFA can accomplish. For example, it could showcase the dedication of the next generation of agriculture, the involvement in the local communities, the support of our active and veteran community, and so much more!
Although the positive accomplishments would be a welcome change to reality TV shows, drama sells. FFA is not without its own dramatics. Have you ever seen behind the scenes of an FFA event? There is so much work that goes into setting everything up and not everyone will agree on the best way to accomplish one goal. However, in the end everything will work itself out.
In addition to the chaotic events, showcasing the chaos of an FFA advisor’s life could be entertaining. For example, keeping track of 15 different SAEs, lining up practice show events, finding volunteers to be judges, setting up field/farm trips, lesson plans, traveling with 20 high school students to national convention, late nights spent at school, and so much more!
Someone needs to call up Hollywood and make this happen! But why stop at just FFA advisors? What about 4-H moms — “The Real Lives of 4-H Moms”? The opportunities are endless! What would you call your FFA journey if it were a TV show?
