The number of Illinois students being impacted by agricultural education has grown in recent years.
Eric Wisely, Illinois state FFA vice president, says they now have over 42-thousand members in the state…
“And we’re seeing those numbers grow consistently as more middle schools, urban schools, and even private schools, see the need for agricultural education in their classrooms,” he says.
He tells Brownfield the recent move to statewide affiliation, and the subsequent state funding associated with it, have helped spur the growth…
“By law, every student enrolled in a high school or middle school ag education class; they are automatically FFA members.” He says, “The state set aside some money in the budget giving each agricultural education student FFA membership at no cost to them.”
Wisely says the influx of members has made an impact…
“Across the board, at state activities or statewide events, we’ve seen a 15% increase in participation over the past year,” he says.
