Future Farmers of America

A Brief Overview of the Program

An agricultural education program is made up of three integrated parts: Classroom instruction, FFA and Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE).

Students with an SAE learn by doing. With help from their agricultural teachers, students develop an SAE project based on one or more SAE categories:

Entrepreneurship
Own and operate an agricultural business (e.g. a lawn care service, a pay-to-fish operation, holiday poinsettia production and sales.)

Placement
Get a job or internship on a farm or ranch, at an agriculture-based business, or in a school or factory laboratory.

Research and Experimentation
Plan and conduct a scientific experiment. (e.g. Determine whether the phases of the moon affect plant growth, or test and determine the efficacy of different welding methods.)

Exploratory
Explore careers in agriculture by attending an agriculture career fair, or creating a report or documentary on the work of a veterinarian.

Through agricultural education, students are provided opportunities for leadership development, personal growth and career success. Agricultural education instruction is delivered through three major components:

1) classroom/laboratory instruction (contextual learning)

2) supervised agricultural experience programs (work-based learning)

3) student leadership organizations (National FFA Organization, National Young Farmer Educational Association, and National Postsecondary Agricultural Student Organization).
Team AgEd Logo

Team Ag Ed is a united effort in promoting local program success and includes the following organizations and groups.

Agricultural education is a systematic program of instruction available to students desiring to learn about the science, business, technology of plant and animal production and/or about the environmental and natural resources systems. Agricultural education first became a part of the public education system in 1917 when the U.S. Congress passed the Smith-Hughes Act. Today, over 800,000 students participate in formal agricultural education instructional programs offered in grades seven-adult throughout the 50 states and three U. S. territories.

Team Ag Ed Annual Report