National FFA Organization

The West Rowan Alumni Chapter is the recipient of the Alumni Chapter of the Year Award. Madeline Wilhelm and Alex Sillyman represented the chapter on stage. Corryn La Rue interviewed Alex Sillyman, check it out below.

Like a good bread recipe or a cowboy tall tale, farming is a tradition Austin Stanton’s family has passed through generations. After his ancestors’ emigration from Ireland nearly 200 years ago, Austin sustains his farming operation on the same land.

For Ben Curtin of the Taylorville FFA Chapter in Illinois, a crossroads of art and agriculture exists in his metalworking business. He started his supervised agricultural experience and business, Curtin’s Creations, during his sophomore year of high school after some encouragement from his ag teacher.

For Colin Wegner, family is the big motivator behind his career in agriculture. In high school, his FFA advisor told him to take advantage of the opportunity to be involved on the family farm. And so the native of Wells, Minn., did.

Not many teenagers have an ethanol producing facility in their basement, but for Eric Koehlmoos, a student from the South O’Brien FFA Chapter in Paullina, Iowa, it was all part of his supervised agricultural experience (SAE). Eric’s idea for his high school SAE sprung out of a science fair project for biology class. He looked at the ethanol industry and was curious if ethanol could be made from switchgrass and prairie cordgrass. He began his research, utilizing knowledge from his animal science class.

Shea Booster, an agricultural business management major at Oregon State University, was elected western region vice president.

Ridge Hughbanks, an agribusiness major at Oklahoma State University, was elected central region vice president.

Jordan Stowe, an agriscience education major at Auburn University, was elected southern region vice president.

Adrian Schunk, a communications major at Michigan State University, was elected Eastern Region Vice President.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visits with the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Tom Brand, in a wide-ranging interview covering NAFTA 2.0, the Farm Bill, FFA, and more.

Meet Tyler Gore, an FFA member and future agriculture educator from Georgia. This segment aired on the Feb. 18, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

“FFA Today” correspondent Micheal Clements interviews Jacob Ball of Kentucky, the Association for Career and Technical Education’s National New Teacher of the Year. This segment aired on the Feb. 18, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

In recognition of National FFA Week, the New York State Senate passed a special resolution. Hear remarks from Senator Patty Ritchie. This segment aired on the Feb. 18, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

Each year, FFA chapters around the country celebrate National FFA Week. It's a time to share with local, state and national audiences what FFA is and the impact it has on members every day. FFA Communications Manager Kristy Meyer highlights some of the amazing events transforming the nation during the week. This segment aired on the Feb. 18, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.

For almost 40 years, Bill Stagg has shared the story of agricultural education and FFA throughout the country. In January, the director of strategic communications for the National FFA Organization retired. Before he left, Bill sat down with us to reflect on his legacy with the organization. This segment aired on the Feb. 11, 2017, “FFA Today” show on Rural Radio Sirius XM Channel 147.