News and Commentary

The National FFA Board of Directors meets Tuesday under a cloud of unanswered questions. Congress has asked. Members and advisors are asking. Alumni, supporters, and agricultural education leaders are asking. Yet National FFA’s response has been mostly silence prompting some to ask, “Has the National FFA Forgotten How to lead? “ FEDERAL LAW PLACES RESPONSIBILITY… Read more: Has the National FFA Forgotten How to lead? FFA’s Silence is Telling

What Will Your State Do? Yesterday, the Tennessee Association of Agricultural Educators (TAAE) formally expressed a loss of confidence in the current direction and leadership of the National FFA Organization. Read the full letter on behalf of educators in one the largest state FFA associations in the nation here. This is not routine—and it should not… Read more: Tennessee Ag Teachers: Confidence Now Lost in National FFA Leadership

FFA members and advisors deserve better from National FFA CEO Scott Stump than what they are getting. They deserve a fair and accurate account of what is happening with so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI or EDI) initiatives in the FFA. That’s what Congressmen Jason Smith, Tracey Mann, and David Schweikert asked for as well… Read more: Did Scott Stump Just Throw FFA Members Under the Bus?

For nearly a century, FFA has helped young people develop leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. That mission has shaped generations of students, families, teachers, and alumni. But today, many former officers, members, and supporters are raising serious concerns that National FFA has drifted from that mission and is now suppressing faith-based… Read more: Is This Actually “Inclusion” in the FFA?

WASHINGTON — Feb. 27, 2026 — A new agreement between Scouting America, War Dept Agreement add new pressure for National FFA. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is explicitly grounding the Pentagon’s renewed relationship with Scouting America in President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14173, using the directive as the standard by which the youth organization’s… Read more: Scouting America, War Dept Agreement; FFA Faces New DEI Pressure

While universities debate the “right” way to talk about agriculture, middle schools and high schools are hunting—often unsuccessfully—for someone who can actually teach it. THE PROBLEM WITH FFA: TOO MUCH MERIT Consider what is being elevated as cutting-edge work in agricultural education scholarship. One recent Journal of Agricultural Education article applies a Critical Whiteness Studies… Read more: University Ag Ed Focus: Teacher Shortage or Whiteness Theory?

At the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) Convention in Nashville this December, a presentation urging educators to reframe FFA’s DEI efforts raised eyebrows—and questions—about compliance with federal policy on diversity, equity, and inclusion programming. ACTE Remarks To Educators about DEI Reframing ACTE’s Dr. Alisha Hyslop delivered remarks during a session hosted by The National… Read more: Flying Under the Radar? Questions About FFA DEI Reframing at NAAE Convention Session

United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ recent address at the National FFA Convention urged a new era in agriculture that every member of the FFA family — students, alumni, parents, ag teachers, and supporters — should hear. Her words call us to strengthen faith, embrace freedom, and prepare the next generation to lead America’s… Read more: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins Urges A New Era in Agriculture

At the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins delivered an urgent call to action to young leaders in agriculture — a keynote that blended faith, freedom, and a renewed sense of purpose for rural America. Speaking before thousands of FFA members, Rollins issued both a challenge and an invitation:… Read more: Turning Point: Rollins urges Better Ways for National FFA

As the National FFA Convention & Expo begins in Indianapolis, thousands of students, teachers, and agricultural leaders are gathering to celebrate the success of one of America’s most enduring youth organizations. The National FFA Organization—now topping one million members across more than 9,000 chapters—remains the world’s largest student-led organization. But with that size and influence… Read more: Better Days? Key Questions to Watch as National FFA Leaders Gather

UPDATE: NATIONAL FFA’S SLEIGHT OF HAND EXPOSED! The National FFA Organization wants the public to believe it has backed away from its divisive DEI agenda. In August, the organization quietly scrubbed its DEI introduction video, “National FFA Agricultural Education For All Town Hall,” from its website — no announcement, no explanation, just gone. (You can… Read more: Pentagon tosses DEI; Why is the National FFA Now Doubling Down?

Is the FFA just looking for empty jackets? That is a question many long time supporters and observers are asking about the State of Florida’s decision to use tax dollars to cover FFA membership dues for every student enrolled in agricultural education through the Future Farmers of America (FFA). On the surface, this policy looks… Read more: Is the FFA Just Looking for Empty Jackets?

The National FFA Board of Directors, once the stewards of American agricultural education, have veered sharply off course and are in need of a dramatic course correction. In today’s FFA, members of faith, especially Christians, are discouraged and penalized from expressing their foundational values while participating in FFA activities. Good teachers and students are being… Read more: Has The National FFA Board Lost Its Way?

Once upon a time, the blue corduroy jacket stood for more than leadership and agriculture—it stood for community, character, and faith. FFA banquets began with prayer. Chapter officers included chaplains stationed by the Bible. “FFA Sunday” sent members in their official dress to sit together in pews, shoulder to shoulder, affirming shared values rooted in… Read more: Is the National FFA Actually Hostile to Christianity?

Yesterday, we shared comments from James Woodard about his reasons why he resigned as National FFA Advisor and National FFA Board Chair. Today, we share comments recieved over the past few days from FFA stakeholders across the country wherever corn is grown. We received heartfelt comments from 19 states and territories, including Texas, North Carolina,… Read more: Real Voices, Real Concerns: What the FFA Community Is Telling Us

In 2022, Dr. James R. Woodard abruptly resigned as National FFA Advisor and National FFA Board Chair. In his resignation letter, he didn’t mince words. He expressed frustration that the National FFA Organization had allowed its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to drift into something divisive and exclusionary. “Highlighting any one group immediately… Read more: EXIT: Is FFA’s DEI Agenda Running Off The Good Teachers?

The recent ban on DEI initiatives by President Trump has significant implications for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and its affiliates, affecting their operations and outreach programs. On January 20–21, 2025, President Trump issued two sweeping executive orders related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or DEI: What Recipients Must Do Federal agencies and organizations… Read more: The Federal DEI Ban: Will FFA Organizations comply?

When FFA walks into a classroom, it doesn’t come as a guest—it comes as a partner. And not just any partner, but one that has earned the trust of parents, teachers, and school districts across the country for nearly a century. That trust is special. It’s not given lightly. It means something. FFA isn’t just… Read more: Broken Trust: Is the FFA violating its special place in the classroom?