(SPARKS, Nev.) -
February 22, 2017More than 2,600 Nevada students are celebrating agricultural education and FFA, a student leadership organization, during National FFA Week Feb. 18 – 25, 2017. The week allows student-led programs around the state to educate about and advocate for agricultural education.
According to a Purdue University study, it is expected there will be nearly 60,000 average annual job openings in agricultural fields by the year 2020. These jobs will require a highly skilled and technical workforce. Agricultural education (a program of Career and Technical Education in Nevada) prepares students to enter these fields and fill that need.
Nevada FFA students spent more than 36,000 hours in 2015 developing leadership skills and preparing for careers in agriculture or related fields. Students learn the importance of teamwork, problem solving, written and verbal communication at a young age, making them an asset to the network of career choices that make up the nation’s food system.
“Students develop valuable technical and communication skills through participation in work-based learning experiences and FFA,” Brieanna Wooden, Nevada FFA state president, said. “I have been able to apply those skills to my college studies to become an agriculture teacher.”
The Nevada FFA Association is a state section of the National FFA Organization, formerly known as Future Farmers of America. The association consists of nearly 2,700 members in 28 chapters around the state. Nevada FFA is an integrated component of Nevada agriculture education that focuses on leadership development. Agricultural education is an experiential or work-based learning program that builds communities through service learning, strengthens agriculture by preparing students for STEM-focused jobs and grows leaders through the FFA.