4-H and FFA Opportunities for Non-Farm Kids: Scholarships

As discussed in a previous blog, agriculture-based youth development programs, 4-H and FFA are key

Blue graduation cap with a yellow tassel with "Scholarships" written across the top.

topics for anyone and everyone to be involved in. 4-H in Tennessee is open to 4th-12th grade and FFA is open to 7th-12th grade students. Although, not all middle schools have FFA or a Career and Technical Education sector, many schools in Tennessee do having over 30, 000 members and 220 chapters state-wide according to Tennessee FFA. While both organizations have similarities, this blog post will be about the FFA program specifically. A journal article by Will Doss and John Rayfield mainly discusses a gap between school principals and agriculture programs, it still provides information on the importance of FFA programs. Literature on FFA programs is difficut to find, but this source provided most, if not all, of the activities and events that FFA offers. School-based agricultural education (SBAE) forcuses on middle and high school students in agriculture classrooms using laboratory instruction, FFA participation, and SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) participation. FFA programs at each school "have the opportunity to participate in local, district, area, state, and national conventions and meetings" (Doss, Rayfield, 2021). The article discusses events specific to Texas FFA programs. One SAE program is livestock programs, similar to 4-H which was discussed in last week's blog post. Additionally, agriculture mechanic shows are popular in Texas for students involved in an agriculture mechanics SAE to exhibit their work. By being involved in FFA and/or an SAE program, "students have the opportunity to earn FFA scholarships, earn FFA degrees, compete for FFA Star Awards, and compete in SAE proficiency awards" (Doss, Rayfield, 2021). 

With that being said, there are many scholarship opportunities through programs like 4-H and FFA. In my personal experience, scholarships have always been an easy task to apply for and (sometimes, but not all the time) receive. I graduated high school in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic began. I had a lot of down time to apply for scholarship after scholarship. I received one from the National FFA Organization with John Deere Meade Tractor for my freshman year of college. I received two scholarships from my high school, one from my college, and one from my local fair. I'm not saying this to brag, but I am saying this to encourage everyone -not just students in agriculture- to apply for scholarships. Apply if it is for $100, $1,000 or $10,000. Being involved in agriculture-based youth development programs looks good on any scholarship application, so financing for college can be an easier task in the future. 

4-H and FFA Opportunities for Non-Farm Kids: Livestock Judging

 A key topic in education and youth development is the material taught and the strategy to distribute

Two females evaluating a class of swine.

knowledge. Agriculture-based programs such as 4-H and FFA teach many agricultural related topics, including animal science, plant science, and natural resources, which can sometimes be a stereotype when encouraging youth to become involved. Parents and families may not see the full picture of these programs because of the stereotypes such as "just for the farm kids" or "just for elementary school aged kids." Some may not want their children to be involved in agriculture because it may be "too dangerous of a job" or a job where you "do not get paid as much." While these stereotypes come into vocabulary when deciding which programs to encourage their children to join, they should be taking more time to learn about the benefits of becoming involved, even if a child does not have a background in agriculture. A journal article  discusses livestock programs within 4-H and FFA. Livestock programs including dairy, horses, livestock, and meat judging have been popular since the early 1900's. Participants engage in learning about what makes a good cut of meat or an ideal cow, horse, goat, hog, or sheep. The contests "evaluate contestants' ability to make logical decisions in a fixed amount of time, with a given scenario, and a selected group of animals or cuts of meat." They view a "class" of each and identify qualities in each and rank them from best to worst using a 1-2-3-4 format (Martin, Rusk, 2021). 

As a future agriculture teacher, it is important that I have my school(s) and community know that agriculture involves everyone. Everyone needs to eat three times a day with a few snacks here and there. Students nor parents should be afraid to become involved in 4-H and FFA. Programs such as these offer numerous opportunities and Livestock Judging is one of the many ways that skills are being taught all while teaching a new topic. I plan to make a series of blogs in the future showing the different opportunities that these agriculture-based clubs have for non-farm and non-agricultural families.