News
National FFA hits million-member milestone
The National FFA Organization has crossed the one-million member mark.
Kristy Meyer with the national office tells Brownfield that outside of the COVID year of 2021, it’s been a steady growth in membership. “We were at 945 thousand last year, but just to compare because I did a little sleuthing, back in 2014, so ten years ago, we had 610 thousand, so it’s kind of nice to see that number just continue to grow every year.”
Meyer says the recent addition of 5th and 6th graders helps a little, but most of the growth is in the older grades. “I think one of the reasons our membership continues to grow is people are realizing what great opportunities lie in the agriculture industry. There’s more than 350 careers in agriculture, and I think our students are really understanding that if they become a part of FFA, they can explore those careers.”
Meyer says some states that already have agriculture classes can now enroll those students in FFA through affiliation.
The official total is 1,027,273 members as of August 1st. Utah, Florida, and Alaska had the biggest jumps in FFA membership.
AUDIO: Kristy Meyer discusses the growth of FFA membership with Brownfield’s Larry Lee
FFA Membership Stats, 2023-2024:
- Student Membership: 1,027,273 (+8.6% from last year)
- Student Chapters: 9,235
- Alumni Membership: 760,152
- Alumni Chapters: 2,033
Top states with highest membership numbers:
- Texas (177,401)
- California (104,450)
- Georgia (81,963)
- Florida (60,817)
- North Carolina (48,241)
Top states for % membership increase compared to last year:
- Utah (+172.7% from last year)
- Florida (+116.9 % from last year)
- Alaska (+74.9% from last year)
Add Comment