36 U.S.C. § 70902: Purposes

Summary

The FFA must support and improve agricultural education across the United States. It must be a key part of teaching about agriculture, food, and natural resources. The group must back classroom and lab lessons, hands-on work experiences, and leadership training. It must help students get ready for careers in these fields and connect them to further education. The FFA must act as a resource without controlling state or local groups. It must make materials, programs, services, and events; promote inclusion and diversity; help start and support local chapters in states, territories, and U.S. possessions; build character and leadership; raise awareness of agriculture’s global and technological importance; encourage careers in agriculture; provide official supplies and equipment to members; work with State boards and career and technical education officials; and carry out other activities the governing body finds useful.

Title 36, §70902

Patriotic and National Observances, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The purposes of the FFA are—

(1)to be an integral component of instruction in agricultural education, including instruction relating to agriculture, food, and natural resources;

(2)to advance comprehensive agricultural education in the United States, including in public schools, by supporting contextual classroom and laboratory instruction and work-based experiential learning;

(3)to prepare students for successful entry into productive careers in fields relating to agriculture, food, and natural resources, including by connecting students to relevant postsecondary educational pathways and focusing on the complete delivery of classroom and laboratory instruction, work-based experiential learning, and leadership development;

(4)to be a resource and support organization that does not select, control, or supervise State association, local chapter, or individual member activities;

(5)to develop educational materials, programs, services, and events as a service to State and local agricultural education agencies;

(6)to seek and promote inclusion and diversity in its membership, leadership, and staff to reflect the belief of the FFA in the value of all human beings;

(7)to create, foster, and assist subsidiary chapters) and associations of those chapters in the States, territories, and possessions of the United States as such chapters and associations carry out agricultural education programs that are approved by States, territories, or possessions;

(8)to build character,1 and develop competent and assertive agricultural leadership;

(9)to increase awareness of the global and technological importance of agriculture, food, and natural resources, and the way agriculture contributes to our well-being;

(10)to promote the intelligent choice and establishment of a career in fields relating to agriculture, food, and natural resources;

(11)to make available to State associations, local chapters, and members all official supplies, programs, services, and equipment of the FFA;

(12)to cooperate with others, including State boards and officials for career and technical education, in accomplishing these purposes; and

(13)to engage in other activities, consistent with these purposes, determined by the governing body to be for the best interests of the FFA.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 7090236:273.Aug. 30, 1950, ch. 823, § 3, 64 Stat. 563. In clause (1), the reference to the Vocational Education Act of 1946 (ch. 541, 49 Stat. 1488) is omitted because that Act was repealed by section 103 of the Act of October 16, 1968 (Public Law 90–576, 82 Stat. 1091). The words “States, territories, and possessions” are substituted for “several States and Territories” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. In clause (7), the words “young men and women” are substituted for “farm boys and young men” to use gender-neutral terminology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2019—Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(1), substituted “FFA” for “corporation” in introductory provisions. Pars. (1), (2). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(6), added pars. (1) and (2). Former pars. (1) and (2) redesignated (7) and (8), respectively. Pars. (3), (4). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(3), (6), added pars. (3) and (4) and struck out former pars. (3) and (4) which read as follows: “(3) to create and nurture a love of country life by encouraging members to improve the farm home and its surroundings, to develop organized rural recreational activities, and to create more interest in the intelligent choice of farming occupations; “(4) to encourage the practice of thrift;”. Par. (5). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(6), added par. (5). Former par. (5) redesignated (11). Par. (6). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(3), (6), added par. (6) and struck out former par. (6) which read as follows: “to publish an official magazine and other publications for the members of the corporation;”. Par. (7). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(7), struck out “composed of students and former students of vocational agriculture in public schools qualifying for Federal reimbursement under the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act (20 U.S.C. 11–15, 16–28” before “) and associations of those chapters” and inserted “as such chapters and associations carry out agricultural education programs that are approved by States, territories, or possessions” after “United States”. Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(2), (3), redesignated par. (1) as (7) and struck out former par. (7) which related to strengthening the confidence of young men and women to encourage development of individual farming programs and promote their permanent establishment in farming. Par. (8). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(2), (8), redesignated par. (2) as (8) and substituted “to build” for “to develop”, “and” for “train for useful citizenship, and foster patriotism, and thereby”, and “assertive” for “aggressive rural and”. Former par. (8) redesignated (12). Pars. (9), (10). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(9), added pars. (9) and (10). Former par. (9) redesignated (13). Par. (11). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(4), (10), redesignated par. (5) as (11), substituted “to make available to State” for “to procure for and distribute to State” and “FFA” for “corporation” and inserted “, programs, services,” before “and equipment”. Par. (12). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(5), (11), redesignated par. (8) as (12) and substituted “State boards and officials for career and technical” for “State boards for vocational”. Par. (13). Pub. L. 116–7, § 3(5), (12), redesignated par. (9) as (13) and substituted “FFA” for “corporation”.

§70902 Purposes