quarterly newsletter of the National FFA Foundation, Spring 2015

Fall 2015

Blue Jackets. Bright Futures!

FFA Gifts 1,000th FFA Jacket through Give the Gift of Blue Program

In late August, Casey Custer was able to zip up his very own FFA jacket for the first time. The senior, who attends Waterford High School in Waterford, Calif., was the proud recipient of the 1,000th FFA jacket through the FFA program Give the Gift of Blue.

FFA has more than 629,000 mem-bers nationwide; however, not all members own the esteemed blue jacket. In fact, more than 50 percent of FFA members don't have an FFA jacket, which is traditionally worn at official functions at the local level and for state and national conventions, compe-titions and special events. Many borrow jackets from the chapter or from past FFA members. The moment they zip up their own jacket is priceless.

"The blue jacket means a lot to me," Custer said, "as it represents the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge, especially as I play a role in Waterford's FFA Ag Mechanics team."

On Jan. 1, 2014, the National FFA Organization and National FFA Foundation began the Give the Gift of Blue program. Funded by individual donors and sponsors, the program provides members with blue jackets. Members apply for a jacket by visiting FFA.org/GIVEBLUE to share their story of what the jacket means to them. Along with an essay, members also share information on what they have been doing in FFA, their communities and in their schools.

"For so many, the blue corduroy gives a sense of belonging," said Joshua Bledsoe, the chief operating officer for the National FFA Organization. "Thanks to this program, we are able to bring this sense of pride and belonging to more of our members, who are part of our FFA family."

Along with applying for a jacket, now others can nominate members they believe should be gifted a jacket.

More than 60,000 FFA members attended the 88th National FFA Convention & Expo Oct. 28-31, 2015, in Louisville, Ky. At national convention and expo, the nation’s largest annu-al student gathering, members from all over the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are able to compete on the national level, participate in service opportunities and engage with educa-tion and industry leaders. Support from generous sponsors and donors makes this possible.

This year, FFA witnessed a record- setting attendance of 65,173, awarded 3,434 American FFA Degrees, provided educational workshops for 11,434 mem-bers, bestowed 190 Honorary American FFA Degrees to teachers and supporters, and provided opportunities for 1,050 members to participate in the National Days of Service.

If you missed any of the sessions, you can catch them at FFA.org/convention by clicking on the “Broadcast” tab.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3)

Valent U.S.A. Corporation's Kate Schuh poses with Casey Custer during his jacket presentation.

FALL 2015 1We believe in the future of agriculture. www.FFA.org/Give

88th National FFA Convention & Expo a Success

www.FFA.org/Give 2 FALL 2015 We believe in the future of agriculture.

Having grown up just a block from Flor-ida A&M University’s Ag campus and demonstration farm, complete with its dairy and beef cattle operations, Jenkins wanted to be a vet ever since she was 12. Her love of horses as a youth solidified that dream.

But it wasn’t until the Tallahassee native was in her twenties that she became fa-miliar with FFA, while majoring in animal sciences as an undergrad student.

“I was president of the Animal Sciences Club, and I remember some of the guys who wore their blue jackets and how they just stood out as leaders in the group,” she says. “I really valued them as effective members of the organization.”

Fast forward a couple of decades, and now Jenkins sees those same values in students today. Last year, she attended her first National FFA Convention & Expo, and because Zoetis sponsors the National FFA Veterinary Science Career Development Event, Jenkins had the chance to engage with today’s blue jacket wearers and some of their advi-sors and parents.

“It was truly refreshing to see so many students with such an understanding of

Christine Jenkins, DVM, DACVIM-SAIM, serves on the Sponsors’ Board of the National FFA Foundation, repre-senting Platinum Sponsor Zoetis. And, as senior director of veterinary medical services and outcomes research of the animal pharmaceutical corporation, she gets to put into practice her 17-plus years of extensive knowledge about animals on and off the farm, as well as companion species like her own pets Buttercup and Biscuit (an unlikely couple comprised of an aged mixed-breed cat and one spry Jack Russell terrier).

Formerly a division of Pfizer’s Animal Health, Zoetis provides more than 300 products globally, including mostly medications for food-producing live-stock (think: poultry, cattle and swine) – everything from vaccines and anti-biotics, to therapeutic pain meds and cancer treatment drugs for small pets. Zoetis recently received the Associa-tion for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) 2016 Business of the Year Award. Zoetis was nominated for this honor by the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) for their support of career education through support of FFA, agricultural education, the Veteri-nary Science Career Development Event and the NAAE Communities of Practice.

Zoetis Sees the Future in FFABY JAMI STALL

Zoetis has supported FFA for 62 years. The Veterinary Science CDE is one of the many areas the company sponsors.

The 2014-15 National FFA Officer team developed the #SpeakAg Challenge to promote agricultural advocacy and the necessity of effective advocates for mod-ern food, fuel and fiber production. This message from the FFA officer team sums up the purpose of the initiative.

“We believe that when we amplify the voices of our student members and equip them with the tools they need to be successful advocates, we can bridge the gap between producers and con-sumers and as a result create a healthi-er dialogue about agriculture across the nation and around the world. Join us in championing the story of agriculture.”

Through Oct. 31, FFA members were challenged to advocate for agriculture in four different areas: self, school, community and government. Members were asked to capture their efforts to tell the story of agriculture with pictures or video and share them through social media using #SpeakAg.

The #SpeakAg initiative is gaining mo-mentum and the National FFA Organi-zation is using this effort as a launching point for the new Agricultural Literacy and Advocacy Platform that will bolster efforts to develop and deliver a suite of skills including effective communication, critical thinking, civic comprehension and holistic understanding when ad-dressing current and future issues and decisions in agriculture. To learn more, visit FFA.org/Speaking.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3)

#SpeakAg

www.FFA.org/Give FALL 2015 3We believe in the future of agriculture.

on the disparity of teaching salaries compared to those of agribusiness.

Aupperle says he wanted to give back and honor his own high school FFA advisor, the late Robert J. Maurer. “I had the best FFA advisor; he was genuine and wanted you to succeed personally, and he took an interest in every FFA member.”

A charter member of the National FFA Alumni Association, Aupperle remains a familiar face at national conventions; he’s volunteered at many of the annual gatherings.

An Illinois FFA alumni, Aupperle served as a president and as secretary-treasurer for a number of years. He also holds the honor of being the only person elected president of the Illinois FFA Foundation for two terms.

For several years, he and his wife would pen birthday cards for each of his stu-dents on their special day – in the range of 200 students a year. “We wanted them to have a personalized card, and you know, I had some students who later told me that ours was the only card they received on that birthday,” Aup-perle said. “It’s just about showing you care.”

Slowing down Eldon “Bud” Aupperle long enough to chat poses challeng-es as daylight hours shorten. But the ever-active 83-year-old always makes time for FFA—and, in this case, to share his thoughts on agricultural education and his reasons for donating time and money.

A youngster during the Great Depres-sion, Aupperle grew up on a livestock and grain farm near Fairbury, Ill., in Liv-ingston County. He was the youngest of five kids and F.O.F. – First Off the Farm, a folksy term meaning the first in the fam-ily to attend college. He left home to seek his teaching degree, which he used first as a vocational agriculture teacher in high schools and then eventually at community colleges.

Just four months after Aupperle began teaching in 1955, Uncle Sam drafted him to serve two years in the U.S. Army. Aside from active duty and a brief sales stint in the fertilizer business, Aupperle’s passion for passing on knowledge led him back to the job he was destined for—sowing the seeds of agricultural education to more than 3,000 students at Black Hawk College alone. He contin-ued teaching for 21 years before enjoy-ing an early retirement in 1988.

“Money cannot buy the satisfaction teachers receive from helping students achieve success,” he said, commenting

National FFA Foundation supporter Eldon “Bud” Aupperle with Wetherfield FFA members, Jon Walker (President) and Cole Bennett.

A Loyal Supporter Devotes Time to FFABY JAMI STALL

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)

FFA Gifts 1,000th FFA Jacket through Give the Gift of Blue Program(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)

"We've had so much success with the program," said Lee Anne Shiller, merchandise and membership services division director at National FFA. "We thought this would be a nice addition to the program and let others share stories of what our FFA members are accom-plishing."

The funding for the program is thanks to corporate sponsors – CSX, Valent U.S.A. Corporation and their parent company Sumitomo, Ram Trucks, Tractor Supply Company – and donations from indi-viduals. In addition, an endowment cre-ated by Donald and Mira Ball continues to fund the program as well.

For more information on how to donate to the program, visit at FFA.org/GIVEBLUE.

Zoetis Sees the Future in FFA(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2)

veterinary science and their consistent level of maturity and how they rep-resent themselves,” she says. “I knew that Zoetis supported that program, so it didn’t surprise me to see that caliber of student, but it was extremely impressive.”

As a member of the Zoetis U.S. Leadership Team, Jenkins directs the efforts of what her company calls the “Commitment to Veterinarians” platform, which ultimately invests in the future of the veterinary profession by providing support through training and education, research and develop-ment. So supporting the National FFA Foundation - as well as local chapters and state associations through its industry support program - makes perfect sense, according to Jenkins.

As a Cornerstone Sponsor of My Jour-ney, the National FFA Organization’s online platform for personalized career success, Zoetis understands the im-portance of a robust talent pipeline for animal health jobs.

“FFA is important to Zoetis because a number of these students will eventu-ally become our customers — whether they land in agriculture or if they end up in veterinary medicine. There’s a high chance we’ll have an opportunity to interact with them as members of the business they’ll be tied to,” she explains. “But more importantly for Zoetis, be-cause FFA is actually preparing people who could eventually be our employees, this gives us the opportunity to have exposure now to the future leaders of agriculture and potentially the key play-ers in veterinary medicine.”

Zoetis Sees the Future in FFA(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3)

FFA Membership Sets Record!

www.FFA.org/Give We believe in the future of agriculture. 4 FALL 2015

6060 FFA DRIVE P.O. BOX 68960 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46268-0960

Thank you for believing in the future of agriculture.

With global needs to fight hunger and prepare for the expected population growth, the industry of agriculture needs educated, skilled and passionate people dedicated to sustainability. The National FFA Organization is answering

this need, as the record growth of the organization demonstrates.

Your support now impacts more young people than ever.

Visit Donate.FFA.org.