As learning opportunities grow, Iowa FFA membership at record level
Published
4/14/2014
Membership in Iowa FFA chapters has reached an all-time record with 14,207 members in 219 high schools across Iowa, according to the Iowa FFA Association.
The number marks the highest membership for the Iowa FFA Association since the charter of the organization in 1929, surpassing the previous record set during the 1977-78 school year with 14,204 Iowa FFA members.
“The increase of our membership is a reflection of the dedication of our agriculture teachers and the appeal of leadership programs pertaining to all facets of the agriculture industry,” said Iowa FFA Advisor Dale Gruis. “The rigorous combination of agricultural education classes, experiential learning through supervised agricultural experience projects and the FFA provided by our agriculture teachers provides students with relevance to their futures and helps them to build relationships within their communities.”
Surge in recent years
The Iowa FFA Association has experienced a recent surge in membership with an increase of nearly 15 percent over the last three years. The new membership record is also 57 percent larger than 25 years ago in 1988-89, when there were only 9,031 members.
Iowa FFA President Josh Earll added, “Our increasing membership is the result of growing opportunities available to all our students. These opportunities range from hands-on learning, leadership experiences and over $2 million of scholarships offered through the National FFA Scholarship program annually. There are so many doors that are open to members of the Iowa FFA.”
The number marks the highest membership for the Iowa FFA Association since the charter of the organization in 1929, surpassing the previous record set during the 1977-78 school year with 14,204 Iowa FFA members.
“The increase of our membership is a reflection of the dedication of our agriculture teachers and the appeal of leadership programs pertaining to all facets of the agriculture industry,” said Iowa FFA Advisor Dale Gruis. “The rigorous combination of agricultural education classes, experiential learning through supervised agricultural experience projects and the FFA provided by our agriculture teachers provides students with relevance to their futures and helps them to build relationships within their communities.”
Surge in recent years
The Iowa FFA Association has experienced a recent surge in membership with an increase of nearly 15 percent over the last three years. The new membership record is also 57 percent larger than 25 years ago in 1988-89, when there were only 9,031 members.
Iowa FFA President Josh Earll added, “Our increasing membership is the result of growing opportunities available to all our students. These opportunities range from hands-on learning, leadership experiences and over $2 million of scholarships offered through the National FFA Scholarship program annually. There are so many doors that are open to members of the Iowa FFA.”