Editor's Note: It has come to my attention that the video I reference is no longer available online. Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you all have a great National FFA week! - Amanda
Although my days of wearing the official dress of the National FFA Association are in the past, I still fondly recall my time spent wearing the blue corduroy jacket that represented FFA and the future of agriculture.
This week, Feb. 16-23, marks National FFA week. Sponsored by Tractor Supply Co., “FFA Week gives members a chance to educate the public about agriculture. During the week, chapters host teacher appreciation breakfasts, conduct Ag Olympics competitions, speak to the public about agriculture, volunteer for community service projects and more. The week of George Washington’s birthday was designated as National FFA Week in 1947 at a National FFA Board of Directors meeting. FFA Week always runs from Saturday to Saturday, and encompasses Feb. 22, Washington’s birthday,” according to the National FFA Association.
Throughout this week, I challenge you to ponder on the future of agriculture. As more young people migrate to urban areas in the pursuit of jobs that will support their families, there are fewer of us around to produce food for the next generation. How can we better support the next generation of farmers and ranchers? Who will grow the food for a growing planet that is expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050?
One way to support future food producers is to share, like and repost on social media the much-talked about Dodge Ram Super Bowl advertisement. For every view, Dodge pledged to donate money to FFA, up to a whopping $1 million. In fact, that threshold was reached last week. It took less than a week to reach the 10 million view milestone equating to the $1 million donation. As of Feb. 14, the "Farmer" video had more than 18 million views on www.ramtrucks.com/keepplowing and www.youtube.com/ramtrucks.
If you missed the commercial or would like to weigh in on the discussion, check out my blog post, "Dodge Ram Super Bowl Ad Gets Mixed Reviews." With more than 90 comments from readers, it’s certainly been a hot topic of discussion.
And, in a fun play on words, here’s a YouTube video that is a parody to the poem, “So God Made A Farmer.” Check out this video and let me know what you think!
Were you in FFA? What are some of your fondest memories of your time wearing the blue corduroy jacket? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
