History of National FFA Organization: The National FFA Organization started in 1928 as the Future Farmers of America. This organization started in Kansas City, Missouri as a farm club for America’s high school boys taking agriculture education classes. As the farming industry changed along with the public-school system demographics, the FFA changed also. In 1965, the Black American farm organization, NFA, joined with the FFA. In 1969, female students joined FFA for the first time. It is estimated that nearly 55% of FFA members in the US are now female. In 1987, the Future Farmers of America changed its name to the National FFA Organization. Since only 2% of high school students are going into production agriculture, the focus of FFA changed from production farming to leadership training. There are nearly 500,000 high school FFA members nationwide with over 25,000 members in the state of Georgia. WLHS chartered an FFA chapter in 1971 as part of the Georgia FFA Association. On average, WLHS FFA has 200 members per year. FFA is a vital part of agriculture education at WLHS.
FFA’s Mission Statement: FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of its members by developing their potential for personal growth, career success, and premier leadership through agriculture education Activities Enjoyed by FFA Members:
Competitions & Career Dev Events Super Saturday Floral Design Membership Fridays & Socials National Fair Trip Agriculture Expo Trip Tractor Operation & Maintenance Fair Projects for GA. Nat. Fair Floriculture & Plant Id Livestock Showing & Judging Fruit Sale & Fundraiser Agriculture Sales Community Service Project National Chapter Application National Convention FFA Summer Leadership Camp Parliamentary Procedure Forestry Nursery Landscape & Plant Id FFA Tailgate Party Natural Resources State & American Degrees Greenhand & Career Conference FFA Week Celebration FFA Quiz Environmental Natural Resources State Convention Skeet Shooting & Archery Chapter Meetings Goose Hollow Cookout Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Officer Training Retreat