Chapters in 12 states can still register to compete for $300,000 in FFA incentives provided by Monsanto
INDIANAPOLIS (January 19, 2012/National FFA Organization) - FFA members in 12 states, eager to win terrific prizes for their local chapter, are off to a very strong start in a program to designed to teach them about today's agriculture by meeting with farmers in their communities.
The 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge, a second-year program now available to more than 3,300 FFA chapters and over 236,000 FFA members, started collecting votes on Monday, January 16. As of Wednesday afternoon, FFA members had already reached 1,541 farmers who voted for their local chapters. Missouri, with 460 votes, led Indiana (309) and Tennessee (308) in the early running. A complete state-by-state leaderboard is available at www.FFAchapterchallenge.com/
Sponsored by Monsanto, the premise of the program is simple: chapter FFA members visit and build relationships with local farmers in a bid to learn about a farmer's way of life and to build local support for their chapter's agriculture education endeavors. Afterward, the FFA members ask the farmer to vote for their chapter.
The top 200 FFA chapters that make the most connections and receive the most farmer votes by February 29 will be awarded a line of credit ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 from the National FFA Organization. As a sponsor of the program, Monsanto will provide more than $300,000 in incentives.
But before FFA chapters are eligible for the program, they must register at www.FFAChapterChallenge.com. FFA members in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas are eligible in 2012 - up from just seven states last year. Votes from local farmers and producers will not count until the FFA chapter has completed the registration process.
"Monsanto is very excited to support this program for a second year," said Linda Arnold, customer advocacy lead for Monsanto. "As a company whose only business is agriculture, we are committed to educational programs like FFA Chapter Challenge that generate excitement in learning about farming. We encourage FFA members to reach out to farmers in their communities and learn more about their livelihood."
Chapters can earn monetary credit which can be used throughout the year to buy FFA jackets and merchandise, obtain banquet supplies and send members to events like the Washington Leadership Conference or the national FFA convention, and more. Awards will go to the top 10 chapters in each of the 12 eligible states, plus 80 at-large winning chapters.
The chapter that makes the most connections and receives the most farmer votes of any participating FFA chapter will win the grand prize - an all-expense paid trip for six students and an advisor to attend the 85th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October 2012, plus a $2,500 FFA certificate of credit.
"Relationships are central to growing a career in any field, let alone agriculture. We love how this program emphasizes that while also supporting FFA chapters who work the hardest," said Rob Cooper, executive director of the National FFA Foundation. "We're very grateful of Monsanto's support of this program and truly believe it will be a great tool to grow tomorrow's agriculture leaders."
Winners will be announced March 9. For more information - including videos, news releases and more - visit www.FFAChapterChallenge.com.
About National FFA Organization
The National FFA Organization, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 540,379 student members as part of 7,489 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is 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. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online (http://www.ffa.org), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/
###
