Agriculture plays a key role in society, and nowhere is that more evident than in the continuing growth of FFA and agricultural education. Today, the National FFA Organization announced a record-high student membership of 760,113, an increase from last year’s 700,170 members.
The top five student membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma. Interest in FFA and agricultural education continues to grow as membership continues to increase as well as the number of chapters. This year, the organization has more than 115,831 Latino members, more than 40,000 Black members and more than 12,000 members who are American Indian and Alaska Native. Forty-four percent of the membership is female, with 51 percent of the membership being male. FFA chapters can be found in 24 of the 25 largest U.S. cities.
“The relevance of agriculture and the security of our country’s food, fiber, and natural resources systems has never been more important,” said National FFA CEO Mark Poeschl. “Our FFA members are the future generation of leaders who will be making an impact in the industry. As we continue to bring agricultural education and FFA to more students, we see the enthusiasm of this generation reflected in the growth of our organization.”
In addition to the increase in membership, the National FFA Organization could also have a record attendance for the 93rd National FFA Convention & Expo. With the convention being held virtually this year and more access for the students, more members should be able to attend.
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to more than 760,000 student members who belong to one of the more than 8,700 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The organization is also supported by more than 8 million alumni and supporters throughout the U.S.
