Over the last few years, FFA has seen steady growth in membership across the country. Information released in August shows that for the 2024–25 school year, FFA recorded a 1.5 percent increase in student membership, bringing the total to 1,042,245 members nationwide. Leaders credit local chapter recruitment efforts for helping drive those numbers up.
One method chapters use to attract new members is hosting Ag Days, says Logan Yeutson, Galesburg FFA President.
“We solely want to focus on making more ag members in the community and in the state. So we invite a lot of people and put a lot of tables out,” Yeutson says. “We invite all these businesses that people don’t think are part of agriculture- but they are- to show, ‘Hey, these are the jobs you could do; this is what you could be doing for the rest of your life.’”
Recruitment for FFA can begin as early as grade school. But over the years, enthusiasm can fade, says Camden Johnson, Monmouth-Roseville FFA President. Maintaining a consistent presence with students, he says, helps keep the momentum going.
“You have a lot of younger kids who are really interested when they’re in grade school. But by the time they get to high school or junior high, they’ve forgotten, or they’ve gotten really active in sports and other things that take up their time,” Johnson says. “Using things like Ag Safety Day, or how some of our other chapters have Ag Days, is a really good way to keep those kids involved. Something we’ve started to do with our chapter is visiting schools more often.”
Even as chapters work to recruit new members, they continue to address misconceptions that FFA is still just the Future Farmers of America, a name change the organization made decades ago to reflect its broader focus. Izzy Kemp, United FFA President, says that misunderstanding still lingers.
“People think, okay, I’ve got to go dig holes on a farm, and that’s what makes you a farmer,” Kemp says. “But talking about the different aspects of agriculture really helps people understand it’s about more than that manual labor. It’s about leadership. It’s about personal growth. It’s about becoming a better person and a better worker.”
With more than a million members nationwide, FFA chapters continue to grow by redefining what it means to be part of agriculture.
