That’s Future Farmers of America. But any real member could explain how its not an acronym anymore and the real name is National FFA.
I’m going to UC Davis in California, traditionally an ag school, and I am getting so tired of explaining FFA to the masses from San Fran and L.A.
So, anyone else remember hearing the “public speaking voice”? Did you do competitions or judging contests? What was your project?
I feel so alone… 
hawksgirl, I’m a city girl with two degrees in theatre, so I was only dimly aware of FFA before I came to work for an ag school. But now, wow!
I didn’t go to Indy this year, but in the 5 previous years, I ws in Louisville.
I can’t relate to the experience of being in FFA, but I can’t tell you how much I loved going to the national convention. What an incredible high to be surrounded by all this exuberence and dedication and focus!
The first time I witnessed the Creed Speaking competition at the national convention blew me away.
So…I can’t relate to your FFA experience, but I can admire the hell out of you!
I never got to go to National, I would have had to leave during my first quarter of college to attend, but I’ve heard wonderful stories.
For the record:
My judging contest was Specialty Animal. We identified vet tools, breeds (cat, dog, goat, rabbit, cavy, rat, hamster), body temps/gestation periods for the same species, and rabbit judging. My team won at State my senior year. Unfortunately, Its not a national competition, or we would have gotten to go.
My project was bunnies. I raised English Lops and showed them 3-4 times a year in ARBA shows. I even bred my doe so that I had little bunnies to show at the county fair. I won for every category in my breed, because I was the only one with that breed there, and I had bunnies in each category.
At university, I still coordinate the Specialty Animal contest for our field day every year, but someday I’ll graduate and that too will end. I always think its so funny seeing all of these kids in their blue jackets. It seems like I wasn’t that young when I did it…
I was in the FFA in high school. I did judge soil once. The soil was all like, “seriously man, I’m innocent.” And I was like, " You’re guilty! Look how mottled you are!"
OK, so that was a bad joke at the time and it probably hasn’t gotten any better.
I wasn’t in FFA, but I was in 4H when I was younger, and those two work together in my county pretty much all the time (I assume that they are working together in a lot of places). I’ve known about it for almost my whole life (but yeah, I grew up and live in Ohio, so it’s a pretty common thing)…
Hurrah for FFA! and Hurrah for Agriculture!
Brendon
I wish I had been in FFA but I went to a fancy-pants college prep private school that didn’t even have shop class.
Now I have a small farm and raise hogs, chickens, turkeys, and ducks and I wish I had a better background so that the guy at the feed mill would stop laughing at me!
I was VP for 2 years and Pres for 1 year of my chapter.
I loved being in FFA! Growing up in a semi-urban area our chapter wasn’t large and didn’t do a lot, but I did go to the MFE conferences, Half-Time conferences and National Convention twice, once in KC and once in Indy.
In school I felt out of place a lot of time, even though I grew up in town I felt like I belonged out in the country. FFA helped me get to where I am today, in my career and having the guts to buy a farm.
I showed my Ag teachers mini-donkeys and won every class. Unfortunately they didn’t have a class for donkeys at state fair so county was as far as I got.
I was President on the state winning Parlimentary Procedure team. Won the local Creed speaking contest ( a whopping 10 students in the class). Judged wildlife, livestock, and dairy. Raised hogs for the project part.
I currently work in a non-livestock agricultural field.