By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
National FFA Week, held Feb. 20-27 this year, is an exciting week for FFA members across the Lone Star State and the nation. It’s a time to celebrate FFA’s heritage and showcase the work of the youth of today who will become tomorrow’s leaders.
In Texas, members celebrated on social media and with various chapter events.
“On Feb. 24, we celebrated My Texas FFA Day,” Blake Mills, 2020-2021 Texas FFA president, said. “It was a day to spread the stories of past and present Texas FFA members to celebrate the past and present victories and strides we’ve made within the organization. We also encouraged people to get involved and talked about how they can support agricultural education and recruit FFA members for the future.”
Texas FFA membership has grown continuously since 2001 and is the largest FFA organizations in the nation, with more than 1,000 chapters and about 139,000 members, Mills noted.
“Considering the circumstances of the last year, with COVID-19 and a lot of different things, Texas FFA still seems to be pretty strong with a lot of different activities,” he said in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “Texas FFA members are now on the upside of things and will potentially be able to participate in career development events this spring, which is exciting because the leadership development events were virtual. There are just a lot of things students can get involved in.”
Leading the statewide organization this past year amid a pandemic was difficult, to say the least.
“This year has been one of the most challenging, yet beautiful years of my life. I’m so grateful Texas FFA entrusted me to serve as their state president this past year,” Mills said. “But I can’t take credit for all of it, because I serve alongside 11 of the most talented and neatest individuals I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet. And I seriously mean that. I just thank everyone that’s gotten me to this point. This year hasn’t looked normal by any means, but we’ve created some kind of normal out of it.”
The strongest message Mills hopes people take home from National FFA Week is that the organization is not just for one type of student. It’s a platform to begin discovering personal strengths and develop leadership skills for the future.
“There’s no such thing as a cookie cutter FFA member. We have students from all different backgrounds and lifestyles. It’s so neat to see all the students that comprise Texas FFA in action and to celebrate those things and motivate students to go above and beyond and do something pretty incredible in their communities. This week is just a testament to what FFA provides students,” he said. “We are a youth organization, a leadership-based, student-led organization focused on students and agriculture education. We continue to strengthen the agricultural industry for farmers and ranchers, build our communities and explore how we can grow personally as individuals.”