Start a Program
How to start an Agricultural Education Program and FFA Chapter At your school
The benefits of agricultural education are clear, but if your school doesn’t have a program, students may miss out on a wealth of opportunities. Starting a program in your district is straightforward, and we’re here to help you succeed.
Prepare the Program
Before filing documentation to form your program, there are a few things you need to do:
Identify an Agricultural Education teacher and FFA Advisor who is properly licensed to teach in Indiana.
Get School Board Permission to offer Agricultural Education Courses and an FFA Chapter. Here are some tips for meeting with school administrators.
Determine the program needs of your community. Check out these resources to help get you started.
Confirm Agricultural Education course offerings.
Determine if any capital improvements or facilities are needed to support or grow the program.
Charter the Program
Once your program is ready, you’ll need to fill out all necessary documentation and send it to:
Indiana FFA
1 North Capital, Suite 600
Indianapolis, IN 46204
These items are due upon application:
- Application for Charter
- Chapter information sheet
- List of chapter officers
- School board minutes approving of the Agricultural Education courses and FFA Chapter
Due by the Friday of the 2nd week of December of the application year:
- Proposed Constitution [Sample] and Bylaws [Sample] that don’t conflict with National or State
- Program and Calendar of Activities
- Names of Chapter Members on MyFFA
- State and National Dues
Market the Program
Spread the word about your new Agriculture Education program!
- Marketing tools
Need Help? We’re Here for you!
Starting a chapter is a big task, but you aren’t alone. Please get in touch with us if you need help or have questions.
Kimberly Bellah
National FFA Central Region State Relations Specialist
kbellah@ffa.org
270-978-7921
Tami Neighbors Ketchen
Director, Indiana FFA Association
TKetchen@isda.in.gov
317-690-3133
Here are some faqs to get you started:
Through agricultural education, students are provided with opportunities for hands-on learning, mentorship, leadership development, and personal growth, leading them to become future chemists, veterinarians, government officials, entrepreneurs, farmers, bankers, international business leaders, teachers and premier professionals in more than 350 careers. Discover potential careers at agexplorer.ffa.org. And even if a student chooses another profession to pursue outside of the umbrella of agriculture, they still leave high school as informed consumers and community-minded citizens, aware of the importance and value of global agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources systems.
Students are offered mentorship and guidance to start their own business or participate in an internship to gain real work experience, known as a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). Learn more at saeforall.org and ffa.org.
Students can simultaneously earn Technical and Academic Honors designations upon successful completion of coursework, providing a springboard for work, technical school, collegiate and post-grad opportunities in a variety of fields.
FFA offers an opportunity for students to learn skills and gain confidence through competitions at local, state, and national levels in numerous categories. It’s often a way of bringing pride to the school and community in the same way sports or performing arts may do for schools.
While a preconceived notion might suggest agricultural education is only for students interested in pursuing careers in production agriculture, students actually learn a wide variety of applicable skills, including science, math, public speaking, leadership, management and technology.
Agricultural education plays a vital role in preparing students for more than 350 career paths,, and instills transferable values and life skills like self-sustainability and leadership.
Currently, more than 1,000,000 students participate in formal agricultural education instructional programs offered in grades 7-12 throughout the 50 states and three U. S. territories.
Students who graduate high school through an agricultural education pathway have a XX% higher chance of being accepted into college and a XX% higher chance of finding employment post graduation than students in other pathways.
Purdue’s College of Agriculture has a 99% placement rate upon graduation.
For information on how to start an agricultural education program in your school, visit LINK.
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