About Indiana FFA Foundation
The Indiana FFA Foundation was established in 1961 to support the programs of the Indiana FFA Association. The Foundation works with partners to provide resources to ensure meaningful opportunities are available for FFA members. There is no doubt the Indiana FFA would not be where it is today without the support of corporate and individual sponsors. Since it was founded, the Indiana FFA Foundation has raised over 12 million dollars to help fund FFA programs and events.
Today the Indiana FFA Foundation raises over $600,000 annually to support student leadership activities, career development events and scholarships. The Board of Directors is constantly seeking new partners to support agriculture’s future leaders.
About Indiana FFA
The Indiana FFA is dynamic youth organization that provides young people with challenging opportunities to excel and develop. The mission of the FFA is to make a positive difference in the lives of young people by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. The current objectives of the Indiana FFA include developing leadership skills in young people, building problem-solving skills, and providing challenging opportunities for career exploration. Any high school student who is enrolled in an agriculture education class can be an FFA member. With a current membership of 9,600 members, the Indiana FFA is definitely making a positive impact on hundreds of communities across Indiana.
An organization that was started for farm boys 82 years ago has grown into an organization that has something to offer everyone. Only about 1/3 of the current FFA membership comes from production farms. The other 2/3 comes from suburban or urban areas. Today’s membership is 50% male and 50% female. Activities today range from science projects to forestry evaluation events and from food science demonstrations to landscape projects. Additionally, the FFA strives to instill leadership, teamwork, and cooperation skills in all members. Annually, 6 leadership conferences are offered to Indiana FFA members. These conferences, which are presented by student leaders, allow for a creative and fun ways to help youth develop positive character traits and habits. All together there are over 200 activities to engage FFA members.
One of the FFA’s most effective and practical learning tools is the Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) program. The SAE program allows students to apply the skills they learned in the classroom by working in the field of agriculture. Examples of SAE programs include working in a feed mill, conducting research in a laboratory, producing vegetables, or working in agricultural communications. The employer and local agriculture education instructor supervise the work experience program and monitor the progress of the student. Currently, there are thousands of SAE projects being conducted by Indiana FFA members across the state.
As the Indiana FFA has just celebrated it’s 82nd Anniversary, the future is tremendous. The excitement level is incredible and enthusiasm is overwhelming. Programs and activities are providing enhanced opportunities for FFA members to achieve premier leadership, personal growth, and career success.