Classroom / Laboratory Instruction
One part of Agricultural Education is the classroom, greenhouse, agricultural mechanics shop, or other laboratory. Here you will learn from the agriculture instructor. Some of the time you spend in the agricultural class will be similar to other classes. At other times the class will be much more hands-on and tied to real world learning opportunities. You will find lots of exciting chances to have fun, get your hands dirty, and learn about agriculture. Remember agriculture is more than cows and plows. Agriculture is also about technology, science and business and real world applications and problems.
EDUCATION
More than 11,000 FFA advisors and agriculture teachers deliver an integrated model of agricultural education providing students with innovative and leading edge curriculum to learn, lead and succeed.
92% offer agriscience
71% offer advanced agriscience and biotechnology
59% offer agricultural mechanics
49% offer horticulture
43% offer animal science
24% offer environment-related
In 2001, 59% of qualified agricultural education graduates pursued
teaching, 35 agriculture programs closed due to lack of
qualified teachers and 365 agriculture teachers teach in more than one
school
23% of teachers have five or fewer years of teaching experience
AVERAGE ANNUAL EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS OF COLLEGE GRADS
Marketing, Merchandising, and Sales Representatives - 14353
Scientists, Engineers, and Related Specialists – 13,922
Managers and Financial Specialists – 5,613
Communication and Education Specialists – 5,295
Social Service Professionals – 4,862
Agricultural Production Specialists – 3,873
FFA
FFA is the organization for students who are studying agriculture. There are numerous agricultural areas of interest and study, and they are all part of FFA. In FFA you will practice what you are learning in real-life situations. Through these experiences, you will learn leadership skills, prepare for career success and experience personal growth. FFA is about service, leadership, and opportunity. Students can approach many avenues of interest which may lead to many rewarding experiences and success. The FFA organization provides opportunities for students on a local, regional, state, national and global level.
MEMBERSHIP
Today, there are 700,170 FFA members, aged 12-21 in 8,612 chapters in
all 50 states, Puerto Rico and theVirgin Islands.
38% of FFA members are female and women hold more than 50% of state
leadership positions throughout the nation
89% of FFA members are in grades 9-12; 6% are in grades 7-8; 5% are
high school graduates
27% of FFA members live in rural, farm areas; the remainder live in rural
non-farm (39%, urban and suburban areas (34%)
INDUSTRY SUPPORT
Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer, with more than 24 million people working in some phase.
FFA prepares members for more than 300 careers in the science, business
and technology of agriculture.
The National FFA Foundation has raised more than $144 million for the
National FFA Organization since 1944.
2,000 sponsors provided more than $10.5 million for FFA and agriculture
programs and activities in 2005
FFA scholarships have awarded more than $24 million to students pursuing
higher education.
More than 1,500 students of agricultural education benefited from FFA
Scholarships in 2005.
The FFA National Agricultural Career Show covers 300,000 square feet
and attracts more than 300 exhibitors.
Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE)
When students take part in their SAE projects it is their chance to work on real-life problems and experience real-life opportunities in a hand-on situation. Students may choose to work with an SAE in an entrepreneurial, placement, home improvement, research, service-based, or exploratory fashion. This is your chance to earn income which can build capital and equity for extended opportunities in the future. The SAE is an integral part of the Agricultural Education system and is essential in providing life long learning skills as well as problem-solving and motivational learning activities.
CAREER EXPLORATION
FFA classroom activities include math and science as well as hands-on work experience and the development of life skills helping students to discover their career path and realize success.
Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through their
hands-on work experience
Members participate and learn advanced career skills in 51 national
proficiency areas based on their hands-on work experience ranging from
food science and technology to agricultural communications to wildlife
management to production agriculture
According to the student magazine readership study, 87% of our students
are interested in learning about career exploration, 81% about college
preparation and 81% about technology
Through 23 national career development events and one activity, FFA
members are challenged to real-life, hands on tests of skills used to
prepare them for more than 300 agricultural careers
GENERAL AGRICULTURAL FACTS
Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer with 22 million people working
in some phase – from growing food and fiber to selling it in the
supermarket.
There are 2.19 million farms in theUSand 165,102 of those are operated by
women.
Individuals, family partnerships or family corporations of 10 or less
stockholders own 99% of theUS farms.
Americans spend 10.9% of there income on food compared to India @
51.3%, Mexico @ 24.5%, Japan @ 17.5% and Italy @ 17.2%.
It takes the average American 40 days to earn enough money to pay for
their annual food supply compared to 124 days to earn enough money to
pay for their federal, state and local taxes for the year.
The US is the world’s leading exporter of food to the world with $49.1
billion worth of agricultural products annually.
Farm receipts total $208.2 billion each year.
The American farmer gains 19¢ of every dollar in agricultural products sold
· 39¢ goes to labor
· 7¢ goes for taxes and interest
· 8.5¢ goes to packaging
· 26.5¢ goes to fuel, electricity, transportation, and
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All information gathered from theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation, "Farm Facts" booklet, updated 2000.