ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

The Effects of FFA and Ag

Programs on Lifestyles After High
School
Social Systems
Division IV

Caitlin LaRocque, Sheree Halsey

12
Springport High School
300 West Main Street
P.O. Box 100
Springport, MI 49284

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

2

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

3
Abstract
The purpose of this research project was to help to understand how beneficial FFA and
Agricultural Education programs are to people after high school. The project was done in order
to determine which programs are the most helpful in developing skills that would be useful in
their future. The researchers hypothesized that if students are involved in Agricultural Education
programs and the FFA that they would gain skills that lead to career success.
The research was started by creating a list of questions that would help see how FFA and
Agricultural Education programs effected people after graduation. In order to get the results
needed names were taken from yearbooks and off of the greenhand initiation lists from previous
years. This way feedback is received from various age groups. Next a survey was put together on
www.Quicksurveys.com and launched. A facebook was made and friend requests were sent to
people on the list. An email was sent to FFA Alumni and Boosters because finding all of the
people was difficult. After friend requests were sent out a link to the survey was posted to the
page with a description explaining what the experiment was for and how they could help. Once
the people took the survey, results were formed through graphs and charts. The results showed
that members that were involved in FFA and Agricultural Education programs in high school
found it was very beneficial to their futures. They took what was learned within the programs
and were able to use it to benefit themselves throughout college and their careers. The skills
acquired within the programs were very helpful not only in their careers but in their everyday
lives as well. Students were pleased with their experience in the FFA and wish they could have
taken more ag programs while in school.The FFA and Agricultural Education programs helped
them to excel while in school and the skills learned have been able to help them after graduation.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

4
Caitlin LaRocque & Sheree Halsey
Michigan
Social Systems
Division I
Introduction
The study was done to help see how beneficial FFA and Agricultural Education programs
are after High school and if being involved in them has a positive impact on students and their
acheivments. It is very important for schools to understand just how big of an influence
agriculture can play in a students life. FFA and agriculture programs help students gain many
important traits that can help them be successful. They gain skills like leadership, organization,
time management, efficiency, integrity, and reliability. The purpose of this study was to help
figure out which programs have the biggest impact and influences on students.
This study could be very beneficial for teachers in figuring out the most effective way to
help students further pursue their goals in life. Figuring out how students feel they learn best can
be very helpful for educators to teach more efficiently. If a teacher knows the best way for a
student to learn something then they can use that to better their teaching skills. Agricultural
classes allow students to do a lot of hands on learning, which is what a lot of students prefer. It
encourages the students to be more interactive with other students. In many classes such as Mech
Tech and Zoology the students actually have to go to the shop or the barn and learn to use the
equipment in the proper way to get the assignment done. Along with agricultural classes comes
responsibility, students are made to work on their own time in order to receive a good grade.
They have responsibilities like taking care of animals and working in the greenhouse outside of
school.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

5
FFA is a way to get students more involved in and outside of school. Being in FFA
encourages students to be more involved in other activites around school as well. FFA influences
students to get better grades and have good behaviors in school in order to participate in the FFA
activities outside of school. This study was a way to show just how beneficial FFA is not only in
school, but afterwards too.

Literature Review
The FFA has a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of students by
developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through
agricultural education. There was a study done by Leasa Danielle Collins (2012) to see what
impact student leadership and youth organizations had on students grade point average and
academic attitude. A survey was given to thirty-six high school students that chose to be in
agricultural education classes to determine how they felt youth organizations and FFA impacted
their academic success. The survey contained a series of statements about leadership and
academic choices developed by FFA and asked the respondent whether they agreed or disagreed.
The research indicated that being involved in organizations and extracurricular activities affects
students academically .The results showed that over fifty percent of students claimed being in a
youth organization had a positive impact on their grade point average, over thirty percent believe
that being involved encouraged them to excel academically, and forty-five percent said that FFA
had a positive impact on their academic attitude as well as performance. This shows that being
involved in FFA definitely benefits students by encouraging them to maintain a good grade point
average as well as helping them to improve their attitude towards their education.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

6
There was a similar study done by Talbert and Balschweid (2000) where students
involved in FFA were compared to the overall youth population. Researches used the Horatio
Alger Associations annual survey that is taken to determine the attitudes of teenagers about
school, family, and work, as a comparison for secondary agricultural education students and
members of the FFA. Results showed that although agricultural education students and the
typical youth were similar in attitudes on importance of core classes and had similar ambitions to
further their education, FFA members had a more positive attitude in regard to the relationship
between hard work and opportunities. This is very beneficial for students because it is preparing
them for life after high school. The findings also showed that the agricultural students were more
involved in school and community activities, were more likely to pick a career in agriculture and
to have a job in high school. Getting a job while in high school helps students develop a good
work ethic and is also a very valuable experience. According to the agricultural education
students involved in the study, agricultural education courses are helping to better prepare them
for their future.
Another study was done by Balschweid and Talbert (2004) to determine how engaged FFA
students are, their attitudes toward agriculture classes, and what influenced them to become
involved in FFA and enroll in agricultural courses. The results from the study implicated that
students who are FFA members believe agricultural education classes have greater value than
non-members did and therefore they are more engaged in their classes. Both members and nonmembers said that personal reasons were the biggest influence on taking agricultural classes,
however, more FFA members said they were influenced to enroll in agriculture classes because
of the teacher while non-members said they were enrolled in classes because of factors that were
beyond their control, such as class schedule complications. The article The Advantages of

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

7
Agriculture Education and FFA (2001), says The central observation drawn from the Purdue
studys comparison of FFA members with the general student population is that agriculture
education students who are also FFA members possess attitudes and exhibit behaviors indicating
they benefit more from their personal, academic and career experiences than the general student
population.

Materials and Methods

Materials needed to conduct this experiment include Facebook, yearbooks, greenhand members
list, quick surveys, and laptops. The project was started by writing down questions that were
important in helping find out the required information. The questions were reviewed and revised
by teachers. Then a survey was created on www.quicksurveys.com. The next step was gathering
the past yearbooks to get a list of all of the FFA members as far back as possible. Then names
were also taken from the list of greenhands that are posted on the walls of the agriculture
classrooms. A Facebook was created and then friend requests were sent to all members that were
able to be found. The survey was then launched and a link was posted to the facebook page and
the Springport FFA Alumni page as well.

Results
A series of 24 questions were asked on the survey. The answers were, for the most part, similar.
Basic questions were asked to get insight on background of the respondents. Questions like,

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

8
where did you graduate, what year did you graduate, and where do you currently live. Over half
of the respondents graduated from Springport High School, and the graduation years varied from
1979 to 2014. This helped give us perspective of those young and older and how FFA and
Agricultural Education programs have effected them over a course of time. The answers varied
with where they currently live now, Springport, Albion, and Lansing were more common
answers. There were people who lived in different states as well to such as Florida, Missouri, and
North Carolina. Questions were asked about college as well. The majority of respondents
attend/attended Michigan State University, Albion College, Western Michigan University,
Jackson College, and Eastern Michigan University were other common answers too. A question
was asked about what they studied in college, there were many different answers but a trend with
agriculture related courses.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

9

What College Did/Do You Attend?

Rosedale Bible College
Univ. of Southern Miss.
Siena Heights
Western Michigan Univ.
Rockingham College
Olivet College
Spring Arbor Univ.
Columbia College

What College Did/Do You

Attend Number of
Attendants

Eastern Michigan Univ.

Ohio State
Kellogg Comm. College
Jackson College
Hope College
Central Michigan Univ.
Baker College
Albion College
Adrian College
Lansing Comm. College
Michigan State Univ.
0

10

12

Figure 1 shows the colleges respondents attended and how many respondents attended each college. The majority of
respondents attended Michigan State University, Kellogg Comm. College, Lansing Comm. College, Western
Michigan University, and Baker College.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

10

7%
24%

27%

1-2

3-4

4-5

6-8+

42%

Figure 2 shows how many years of education they received. You can see that the majority of the respondents
received 3-4 years of college education.

As s 20.00%
ociates

Bachelors
46.67%

Mas
0.00%
ters

Doctorate

2.22%

40.00%
None

Figure 3 is a graphy showing the degrees earned by the respondents. 40% of them have received no degrees, while
46% of them have received a bachelors degree. 20% received associates degrees, 2% received a doctorate.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

11
When asked how FFA and Agricultural classes influenced their academic choices there were a
few answers that they all seemed to give. The classes helped them with leadership, time
management, and public speaking skills which helped them in taking new classes they wouldnt
have otherwise or even participating more in classes. They said that being involved in FFA also
helped keep them on track, to be able to participate in FFA activities you have to keep your
grades up. There are high standards in FFA and those helped keep students academic
performance up, it kept them motivated to do well in school. Opening opportunities was another
answer that was often given. FFA and Agriculture Education programs taught students more
giving them more experience in other areas, which led to them being able to participate more in
areas they normally wouldnt have. The classes helped students determine the career paths they
wanted to take. They realized what was right for them and then decided what college courses to
take, whether they ended up going into agriculture or deciding that they should take another
route. They were asked what Ag programs they wished were offered to them and they all had the
same general requests. There were a few like medical ag classes for vet techs, nutrition, turf and
water sciences, and ag production. The most common requested class was Ag business, which is
now offered in Springport. The most common answer though was that they didnt have any
problems with the classes that were offered, they were happy with the variety and gained many
skills from the courses they took. A few other people said things like they were happy with the
classes but had trouble taking the courses they wanted because of schedule conflicts. The
majority of the people were happy with the courses offered.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

12
Friends
Ag teacher
Family member
Magazine/Internet
State or National Officer
Interest in Agriscience
Other, please specify

Figure 4 is showing what influenced students to join FFA or Ag classes in the first place. 80% of respondents said
their Ag teacher influenced them, 51% said their friends, 33% said family members, 31% said they joined because
they were interested themselves, 4% said a state or national officer influenced them, and 4% said other.

AP Biology
Botany
Zoology
Leadership
Ecology
Landscape design
Mech-Tech
Agriscience Internship
Ag Finance
Foods/Nutrition
Physical/Earth Science
Applied Biological Systems-AG
Genetics & Ag Research
Ag I,II,III,IV,V, etc.
Other, please specify

Figure 5 shows the courses taken by the respondents in high school. This helped to show what classes students
preferred to take in school. 73% took leadership, 57% took zoology, 44% took botany, 40% took AP biology, and
33% took Ag internship.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

13
Genetics & Ag Research
Applied Biological Systems-AG
Physical/Earth Science
Foods/Nutrition
Ag Finance
Agriscience Internship
Mech-Tech
Landscape Design
Ecology
Leadership
Zoology
Botony
AP Biology
Other, please specify

Figure 6 is a graph showing what courses the respondents felt were the most beneficial to them and their academic
success after high school. 53% of the respondents thought leadership class was the most beneficial.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

14
Leadership

Ag mechanics

Animal sciences

Plant sciences

Food sciences

Floriculture

Ag finance

Biotechnology

S oil science

Range management

Other, please specify

Figure 7 is a graph of the skills learned by the respondents from FFA or Ag classes during high school. 91% said
they learned leadership skills. 53% said they learned animal science skills.
Other, please specify
Did not go any further
Became an alumni member
Joined collegiate FFA
Served as a state officer
Ran for state officer
0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

Figure 8 shows how far the respondents took their FFA career outside of school. The majority of respondents didnt
take their FFA career any further than high school. 35% said they became alumni members.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

15

More community service

More fundraising

Less fundraising

More recreational activites

More involvement in contests

Better public relations

Other, please specify

Figure 9 is a graph showing the respondents opinions on what could be done to improve the FFA and ag classes to
make them the best they can. 44% of them said having better public relations would be a good idea, while 37% said
more community service would be beneficial as well.

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

Figure 10 shows how long the respondents were actual members of FFA or involved in Ag classes. 73% of them
were members for the whole 4 years they attended high school. 11% were members for 3 years.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

16

7%
Yes

9%

No

Somewhat
84%

Figure 11 is showing how many of them were satisfied with their experience in and out of school with FFA and Ag
classes. 84% were satisfied, 8% were somewhat satisfied, and 6% werent satisfied at all with the programs.

33%
42%

Yes

No

Would like to be

24%

Figure 12 show how many of the respondents are still involved with FFA today. 42% are still involved with the
program while 24% are not and 33% would like to be more involved.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

17

36%

Yes

No

49%

Maybe

16%

Figure 13 shows how many are currently or plan on becoming alumni members. 48% said yes, while 15% said no,
and 35% said maybe.

Questions were also asked about their careers now and how far they have gotten. This helps to
show how the skills learned in Agricultural classes and FFA helped determine their career
choices and further their careers. A question was asked aboutwhere are you currently
employed?, the answers of course varied greatly. There were answers from Target, auto shops,
to places like Agri-king, Rispens Seeds Inc., Veterinary clinics, and Michigan State university.
They had positions from animal care specialists to accountants to instructors to dairy specialist.
The most popular position was a manager of a business.

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

18

7% 4%
31%

13%
less than 1 year

1-5 years

5-10 years

10-15 years

15-20+ years

44%

Figure 14 is a pie chart showing how long they have been employed. This helped by showing us how they are at
being able to keep a job. 44% had been employed fo r1-5 years now, 31% had been for less than a year, while 4%
had been for 15-20+ years.

To sum up our survey If you could explain your experience in one word what would it be?.
Words likeamazing,beneficial,eccentric,enriching,experiential,insightful,influential, and
opportunistic were used. This gave insight on how they felt their experience was.

Discussion and Conclusions

The study shows that people who were involved with FFA and Agricultural Education programs
during high school developed skills that were beneficial to their schooling and careers and they
have carried those skills with them since graduating. This coincides with the hypothsis that if
students are involved in Agricultural Education programs and the FFA that they would gain skills
that lead to career success. The majority of respondents said that the leadership skills they
acquired within the programs has helped them immensely with their performance in their careers
and schooling. They were satisfied with the classes offered to them in high school and wishes
they would have had more room in their schedules to take more of these classes. The
improvements they have suggested for the FFA and Agricultural Education programs have
already been made, more public relations and community service. Taking these Agricultural

ADVANTAGES OF FFA AND AG PROGRAMS

19
Education programs in high school helped them decide what they wanted to do with their futures,
whether it involved agriculture or not. The programs gave them the opportunity to develop skills
that are important for young adults while in college and starting their careers. The skills wouldnt
have been as easily acquired within the regular academic classes required to graduate. Students
that were involved in these programs stated that the high standards of FFA helped them with their
academic performance, giving them opportunities to participate in things that they wouldnt be
able to participate in otherwise. Programs they took in high school gave them more experience in
areas that helped them excel within their careers.

References
Collins, L. (2012). Descriptive Analysis Study of the Impact that Student Leadership, Youth
Organizations, and Positive Self-Motivation has upon Students Grade Point Average and
Academic Attitud. Retrieved January 22, 2015, from
http://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/researchpapers/2012/Collins, Leasa.pdf
Balschweid, M., & Talbert, A. (2004). Engaging Students in The Agricultural Education Model:
Factors Affecting Participation in The National FFA Organization. Journal of Agricultural
Education, 45.
The Advantages of Agriculture Education and FFA. (2001, February 1). Techniques.