Mackenzie Mills at River Point Farms in Hermiston, OR, sent us some terrific photos this week, and she told us a bit about the Oregon State FFA convention.
“We attended the Oregon State FFA (Future Farmers of America) Convention, Career and Education Show last month in Redmond,” Mackenzie said. “During the show we shared with FFA students career opportunities in agriculture, and we also had an Instagram photo booth contest.”
As the country’s largest youth organization, FFA prepares students for careers in the science, business and technology areas of agriculture. Its website, ffa.org, says this, “The letters ‘FFA’ stand for Future Farmers of America.
“These letters are a part of our history and our heritage that will never change. But FFA is not just for students who want to be production farmers; FFA also welcomes members who aspire to careers as teachers, doctors, scientists, business owners and more. For this reason, the name of the organization was updated in 1988 after a vote of national convention delegates to reflect the growing diversity and new opportunities in the industry of agriculture.
“Today, the National FFA Organization remains committed to the individual student, providing a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
“FFA continues to help the next generation rise up to meet those challenges by helping its members to develop their own unique talents and explore their interests in a broad range of agricultural career pathways. So today, we are still the Future Farmers of America. But, we are the Future Biologists, Future Chemists, Future Veterinarians, Future Engineers and Future Entrepreneurs of America, too.”
