FFA isn’t all about the farm. Starting in November, students who are in FFA will take part in two major activities; livestock shows and a leadership development conference.

The Leadership Development conference includes events such as FFA Quiz, AG issue Quiz, public relations, floral competitions and a radio team that discusses current events. Despite contrary belief, you do not have to raise an animal to be in FFA.

“It opens doors for future opportunities, and creates jobs that aren’t AG based,” senior FFA president Reilly Lowe said.

There is only one requirement to be in FFA: come to meetings. Their next meeting is Oct. 22 in the AG room, B114.

“The main focus of FFA is creating leaders of tomorrow,” Lowe said.

This year, more than ever, FFA is focused on getting kids involved in the wide variety of leadership activities it offers. Joining a CDE or LDE team is a simple process. Just start coming to FFA meetings and sign up.

“You can do FFA 365 days a year,” Lowe said. “If you want to learn about responsibility and leadership, it’s a great place to go.”

Being a part of FFA leads to many different opportunities in the real world. Area Officer of Area 7 (all schools from Austin to San Antonio), senior Ryan Prindle, is the leader of nearly 10,000 FFA members. Colleges have already begun to approach him in hopes of obtaining him in their respective programs. Prindle has made connections with professors from A&M, U.T. and Texas Tech.

“Being in FFA has helped me get in the door to a lot of my dream schools, even though I may not go for FFA,” Prindle said.