Future Farmers of America (FFA) is a student-led career and technical education organization for students in agricultural education, spanning grades five through college. This year, the organization reached one million members nationwide.

Brentsville District High School FFA members Rachael Fortune-Brito and Abigail Norris explain that the organization has broadened their leadership and public speaking skills, providing them with opportunities to try new things.

“What FFA means to me is being able to meet new people, have new experiences, and grow as a person and a leader. A lot of people think that just because you’re in an FFA-related [class], you go into an FFA-related job which isn’t the case,” Fortune-Brito shared. “For me, I don’t really want to go into those fields but they’re life skills that will help me throughout my entire life, whatever job I'm in.”

FFA offers opportunities for students on the local, state, and national level including competitions based on future careers, a national convention, and more. Norris attended the national convention this past fall in Indianapolis and participated in community service.

“At the national convention, we got to meet people from all over the country, and that is something I don’t think I would have ever gotten to do without FFA,” Norris said. “We got to go to a neighborhood community center and help them set up for their Halloween [event]. It was just really cool to see how appreciative they were.”

The Brentsville District FFA chapter also participates in local outreach including working with younger students through AgVenture Day, where the group hosts students from The Nokesville School to showcase different types of agriculture.

“I’m proud of these kids for what they’re doing,” Amy Beard, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, said.  “I think it is important that people are involved in it and that we can get agriculture, in whatever way we can, out there to them.”

“It’s a really important program. Not just for people going into agriculture, but for everyone. It means so much to so many people and it has done so much to teach the next generation because we need more people who know something about agriculture,” Norris added.

“It feels really good that we’re making an impact. Even though we are just kids, we are making a difference,” Fortune-Brito said.

The Brentsville FFA chapter will be visiting the state capital to be recognized by State Delegate Ian Lovejoy for their work.