FFA kids today, a little rant.

Watching AgDay this morning at work between test and paperwork. They had a bit about the Nat'l Convention. They interviewed a kid. He was wearing an Asgrow cap and had a big pin on his jacket that looked like a political button. There was a constant stream of kids walking behind him. Most all had the jackets on but less than a third were in official dress, as I knew it. Has the dress code changed or have the Advisers just gotten that lax the last 10 years. I am only 30 but when I was in school if my adviser had seen me wearing my jacket with blue jean, white shoes, no tie, and a ball cap on I woulda never heard the end of it. Any young'ns on here please shed some light on this for an old has been. Or if some one on here has kids/grand kids please fill me in on the change.

Thanks, just had to get that off my chest.

Dave

Well, I did not see that clip, but my daughter just returned from the convention with her chapter. Yes, her advisor and the rest of the advisors from this state insisted on official dress.

I would say that the FFA continues to be a premier organization that teachers kids valuable skills. The advisors enjoy working with many different students who have a wide range of backgrounds. As your old advisor already knew, don't judge by first glance.

Was not try'n to judge the kids, just how things had changed. 15 years ago at the state convention (never went to Nat'n, it was the weekend of Deer Day) if you left your hotel room wearing a jacket with out the rest of the uniform if your adviser did not correct you some one elses would. A guy in my chapter worked for a year to try to get to state in Beef Impromptu, he did not get a rating at reginals because his jacket was not zipped.

Guess what I was wander'n is did they change official dress or do the advisers not teach it any more.

Still a great great group of kids as far as I know, I help out our local chapter when I can.

Dave

At least he wasn't on the streets selling drugs to some 14 year old or stealing your car. A lot worse things he could be doing than not dressing correct. Just my opinion.

When I was a member ('58-'62), FFA stood for Future Farmers of America; have heard (can't verify) that it no longer means that; that it's just 3 letters with no meaning; is that true? Even back then, in my graduating class of 111, only 2 of us became farmers, although several others eventually owned a few acres and did a little hobby farming. As far as wearing the 'uniform'; it's probably just the continuation of the direction the country is taking; when was the last time you went into a restaurant and didn't see some clown wearing a ballcap? We (male) were taught to remove our headgear upon entering any structure........other than a barn.

Well you got in when I got out age wise. I was an advisor for 10 years back in the 70&80's Future Farmers was dismissed because of a broader ag base with a smaller % being farmers. You have all the special ag programs now but still students are FFA members. I sub for a Hort program and a production program at the local school and an Ag-Diesel program at the career center. This is flat farm land and out of last years production program there were 14 students in Freshman ag. I think only 3 of their parents farm. And this is farm countrry. J.

I have observed FFA for many years & quite frankly have not understood what is the empahsis. They have many rules in our area that make no sense. The rule of a 90 day livestock project. OK for hogs, sheep, and the likes but how about a dairy project. That is not a 90 day project. I was at a dairy show a few years that was held in August and the tempeture was over 100 degree's. Yep! The advisors insisted on the correct uniform with jacket. Two young ladies collapased in the show ring. After that the show management ruled that they did not have to wear rhe jackets. Where is the common sense. We donated a purebred Dairy heifer to a young FFA member. She showed the heifer at many shows including National shows. The heifer has placed as high as fourth in National Open shows. We took the heifer and the young lady to her first National show. From then on it was her and her parents. She is know out of FFA as a Star Farmer has a scholarship to a leading Agricultural College and is on the Dairy Judging Team. She has a herd of Dairy Cattle that traces back to this heifer. All of this was inspite of her FFA advisor. There is good ones and bad ones.

Why bother with FFA? Three generations and 17 farmers in my family seem to have survived without it. The only reason my kids are in 4-H is my wife grew up as a member.

I take it that none of the members of your family took an AG class in school, FFA was part of the AG class when I was in back in the 50's.

Worked with the FFA a while back at one county fair the temp was over 100 so the judge told the kids that they didn't have to wear the jacket then he penalized them for not wearing it. some how that just doesn't seem to be right and sure doesn't teach kids right or wrong.
One judge was picking the best looking girl as the winner in each class. Not my way of teaching them how to win by hard work.
I also saw one girl who had a steer that was at least 3 years old I raise Limousin for a living and I know that they don't get that big in 18 months.
Its too bad that we can't do what's correct and then teach the kids to do the same.
I know the FFA is better than that and I expect the adults to act correctly.
And we need to make standards that the judges have to follow not just what they think is correct.
Walt

I took Vocational Ag, which included FFA, four years in high school, and was in 4H for three years.

Even though I grew up on a farm, and engaged in farming myself at one time, in retrospect I would have been far better off to have taken business classes.

One of the first things I learned in FFA and 4H was that if your last name wasn't one of three common local last names, you were wasting your time. The rest I could have learned by reading farm magazines.

Im afraid its on its way out. It hasnt been that long since Ive been in school, being only 26, I was a dues paying member, but never owned a jacket. Those jackets/uniforms just really look corny and dated. As someone said, if you werent one of the big names in town(which I was), you pretty much werent included in anything, and the advisor didnt care about you or your projects.

I was in FFA for 6 years (we had a Jr. High chapter.) I graduated high school in 2005, and yes, it also bugged me very much seeing that type of dress. My fellow members and I were always in complete official dress. Can't say the same for other chapters in my section, though.

Sad to say it probably is the ag teachers that don't want to fight with todays stupid parents or lawyers over a dress code just like at most schools. It just reflects back on that town's morals and the kind of people that live there. Blue jeans were allowed here in late 70s for outdoor or in barn livestock contests but they better be clean and pressed not all faded. Seems western hats or clean caps were allowed at outdoor contests in the sun but not indoors for any kind of meetings. So things were getting laxed some back then we weren't required to wear ties outdoors or in barns at livestock judging but did in parlimentary procedure and more formal contests.

Thought I could clear up a few questions/comments. I will be student teaching in the spring and then become a high school ag teacher/FFA advisor. The organization goes by National FFA Organization since 1988 but still has the name Future Farmers of American (just does business as FFA) Why? Because they realized there is much more to agriculture than just farming and the old name only showcased the production side(and in the mid 1980"s farm crisis nearly killed FFA membership and sponsorship). Now they focus on everything from production ag to food science, biotechnology, business, horticulture, landscaping, ect. Currently, the organization is bigger than ever - over 500,000 student members. FFA is part of ag class. Ag Education is supposed to have 3 parts - classroom, FFA, and SAE. These are intra-curricular activites - ie part of class. I know an ag program"s quality varies by the quality of the ag teacher. With official dress, it has not changed much over the years but I know in my area noboby shows livestock in official dress. Official is reserved for formal events and other FFA attire - t-shirt, polo shirt, ect. are for other events - shows, meetings, some contests. National Convention (which I attended) is the largest annual youth gathering in the world and you see the best and worst. FFA and ag education is important to our future - regardless of your involvement in agriculture - because they focus on premier leadership, personal growth, and career success for students - who doesn"t need more of that?

From our point of view our ag teachers awesome. She is real lax about dress, and at meetings nothings required. Some people wear it, some dont. Whenever we go somewhere its encouraged, but any of the officers always have to wear everything-the whole 9 yards all the time.

Its the advisers. I'm in FFA and they are hard on you if you don't wear official dress to a meeting unless it not official dress. Hats, they are mixed, two don't care if you wear them, the other two hats off unless you are in the ag shop or its after school, but in official dress no hats or buttons unless its the ones they give you. You can wear hats to non official dress meetings though.

Yeah, Actually they changed the name to National FFA Organization I believe. To me, that is kinda to do this but its with the people in the office. I graduated last year and we had about 60 members total in our chapter. I graduated with 17 of them. Every single one of us are farming and loving it... so far anyways.

Our school never offered Ag classes - too busy making the grass grow on the football field to teach vocations.