Awards provide incentive for all members to set goals and work towards achieving them. The result is a membership dedicated to progress in agricultural education and youth development.

Main sessions during the National FFA Convention & Expo features motivational guest speakers, retiring addresses of the national officers, Career Success Tours, recognition and award presentations to student, teacher and chapter finalists, as well as honoring and recognizing FFA supporters and sponsors.

The innovative funding approach of Living to Serve Grant Series, supports more diverse service focus areas that include Community Safety; Environmental

Responsibility; Hunger, Health and Nutrition; Diversity; and Community Engagement.

The Agricultural Proficiency Awards Handbook and the Agriscience Research Proficiency Award Handbook, tip sheets, videos and other helpful resources for completing an Agricultural Proficiency Awards application are available online.

The list of Official Chapter Equipment includes: 1 FFA Banner; A Complete Set of Officer Stations (Symbols); 7 or more Official FFA Manuals; 1 Official FFA Flag; 1 US Flag; 1 Gavel and Block; and 1 Scrapbook.

To be eligible for the American FFA Degree a member must have participated in 50 hours of community service, within at least five different community service activities. These hours are in addition to and cannot be duplicated as paid or unpaid SAE hours.

During the Opening Ceremony it is acceptable for the Secretary to call the complete roll if necessary and report attendance on that basis.

To be eligible to receive the Greenhand FFA Degree a member must learn and recite the FFA Creed, motto, and salute.

VIP Citation nominees are limited to those individuals holding the Honorary American FFA Degree.

At the ending of the Ceremony for Installing Officers, the Retiring President states, "Retiring officers, will you please escort the newly installed officers to their stations?" Then the new president presents brief remarks.

The State FFA Officer Leadership Continuum develops state officers with 11 key focus areas, one of which is Meeting Management.

The FFA Ag Advocacy Leadership Series empowers students with knowledge and skills such as self-discovery, personal growth, leadership skills and making an impact.

In 2020-2021 there were 1,070 FFA chapters in Texas and 8,817 FFA chapters in the National FFA Organization.

During the American FFA Degree Ceremony the Second Vice President states, "Boundaries within our country exist only in name. True American citizens are interested in and loyal to their local communities and states, but their greatest devotion is to their country."

Step five in the "Steps in Presenting an Item of Business" is "Seconding the motion."

As part of the suggested lesson plan the teacher may have the chapter president or other students speak to the class on value and proper use of parliamentary law in order to evaluate understanding.

If two-thirds vote is required, either a rising or a unanimous (general) consent vote should be taken.

The presentation of a secondary motion (e.g., an amendment) during the discussion period does not count toward a member's two allotted speeches.

If the first two debates are on the same side of the issue, the presiding officer should ask if anyone wants to speak for the other side of the issue. If there is, that person should speak next. If no one wants to speak for the other side of the issue the presiding officer should ask "is there any further discussion?" or "Are you ready for the question?"

If the motion is still on the table when the meeting is adjourned, at the next meeting (if not scheduled past a quarterly calendar time frame) the motion can be taken from the table as unfinished business.

A previous question may be reconsidered before the affirmative vote is taken on the pending question or questions.

If the motion is only to refer the item of business to a committee, it is then the responsibility of the president to appoint the committee.

It is proper to first introduce the item of business and when it is opened for discussion, one may then move to suspend the rule involved and after this motion is passed, proceed with the disposal of the main motion.

The presiding officer can inform the chapter of the need to elect an individual to fill a certain position, and then say, "the floor is open for nominations."

If a committee has not yet taken up the question, and it is the same day as referral or the next calendar day, then it is appropriate to reconsider the vote on the motion to refer.

A motion that the chapter have a banquet may not be rescinded if the facility has been rented, invitations have been sent, and the cancellation deadline has passed.

A question may be postponed so it can be considered at a time that is more convenient or because debate has revealed one or more reasons to delay a decision. It is in order regardless of how much debate has already occurred on the main motion.

A majority vote is required to adopt a certain order of business when the question is put to the chapter.

In an inclusive order of business Unfinished Business immediately follows Special Committee Reports.

Texas FFA Effectives Chapters Doctrine focus areas and the skills and abilities associated were derived from research conducted by the National FFA Organization through joint collaboration of both business/industry partners and academia.

At the 95th FFA Convention, 12 members were elected to work on behalf of their fellow Texas FFA members in the capacity as a Texas FFA State Officer.

In 2013, Texas FFA adopted an overall plan titled the "Leadership Development Continuum," a long-range plan with specific leadership development outcomes for members at different stages of development.

The Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources cluster includes occupations and careers in the planning, implementation, production, management, processing and/or marketing of agricultural commodities and services, including food, fiber, forestry products, natural resources, horticulture, and other plan and animal products.

The Distinguished Level of Achievement will allow you to compete for Top 10% automatic admissions eligibility at any Texas public university, position you among those first in line for a TEXAS scholarship to help pay for university tuition and fees, and ensure you are a more competitive applicant at the most selective colleges and universities.

As part of the Texas FFA Effective Chapters Doctrine the local FFA chapter encourages academic excellence, pursuit of post-secondary education or technical training and agricultural careers through promotion of and assistance in applying for FFA scholarships.

Elvin Caraway was a National FFA Vice President in 1976-1977.

Winters Future Farmers of America was issued the first local chapter charter in 1930. The document was signed by the Texas FFA's president, Howard Strother and the first state advisor, E. R. Alexander.

The Texas FFA Foundation came about, in part, due to the gifts of C.J. "Red" Davidson, a Fort Worth, oilman who, on his morning walk in downtown Fort Worth, happened onto a group of well-dressed and groomed blue-corduroy-clad boys streaming into the Tarrant County Convention Center.

Fred McClure served as the National FFA Secretary in 1973-1974, student body president at Texas A&M University (The first African American to do so) and an advisor to two US Presidents (Ronald Raegan and George H.W. Bush)

In 2018, the Texas FFA began a six-year convention rotation between the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas; Fort Worth (2018 & 2019); Dallas (2020); Fort Worth (2021 & 2022); Dallas (2023).

Course credits received through Credit by Examination shall not count towards satisfying the five (5) different semesters of instruction when considering Academic Scholarship Program eligibility.

During the Range career development event, three to four team members apply knowledge and skills to record the degree of utilization, kind of site, range condition, soil characteristics, and the predominant decrease, increaser, and invader plant species while also recommending range management practices.

The Texas FFA Convention Student Media Program provides a professional environment for students to cultivate skills related to journalism, photograph, and video production.

SAE is a required component of all AFNR courses in Texas, as explained by the Texas Education Code, chapter 130, subchapter A.

Between December 2021 and August 2022, Texas A&M Forest Service crews responded to 1,725 wildfires.

Retirement farms, off-farm occupations farms, and farming-occupation farms (Moderate-sales farms) are all considered small family farms.

According to the National Chicken Council and USPOULTRY, Texas' chicken industry created 7,000 direct jobs in the state and an additional 106,978 jobs through related services and industries.

Nearly all of the corn used to create ethanol in Texas is grown in Texas.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasted that there will be a 5.2% increase in the U.S. labor force between 2018-2028 due to job growth openings from retirements or other replacements and increased immigration.

Broilers were ranked fifth within the Top 20 commodities in terms for cash receipts in 2021.

On average, it takes 50-65 pounds of feed to raise a 38-pound tom turkey.

Dallisgrass is subject to ergot (Claviceps app.) infection, which can be toxic to cattle if they eat infected seed heads.

The United States is the world's fourth-largest producer and consumer of pork and pork products. In recent years, the United States has been either the world's largest or second largest exporter of pork and pork products, with exports averaging 10 percent of commercial pork production in most years.

Many cultures have evidence of early rice cultivation, including China, India, and the civilizations of Southeast Africa. However, the earliest archaeological evidence comes from central and eastern China and dates 5000-7000 BCE.

In 2018, exports from Texas to Mexico were $344.1 million in animal products and $519.2 million in plant products.

The U.S. is the world's third largest producer of cotton, one of the most important textile fabrics and is the world's leading exporter of cotton, and the industry contributes $21 billion a year to the economy and generates over 225,000 jobs.

Triticale (triticum secale) is a cross between wheat and oats. Grain from triticale is used as feed by the livestock industry. It can be planted later, often produces more forage, and has a shorter grazing period than many varieties of wheat or rye. Triticate tolerates drought and pests better than wheat.

In Texas potatoes are ranked eighth by value of production.

Census of agriculture data are frequently used to create an extensive database of information on uncommon crops and livestock and the value of those commodities for assessing the need to develop policies and programs to support those commodities.

During the Hlavinka case the difference was huge between what the landowners said the easement was worth (about $3.3 million) and what the pipeline company wanted to set the price at (just over $23,000).

The article "Texas ag agency says climate change threatens state's food supply" was published by the Texas Tribune on January 3, 2023.

Food labeling regulations in the U.S. evolve with the times to address concerns related to food safety, nutrition, consumer information, country of origin and public health.

Summer EBT is a new summer feeding program that will allow low-income families with children to receive additional benefits during the summer months, when childhood hunger typically spikes due to the loss of school meals.

Brian McLaughlin spoke to DTN about the Texas Supreme Court's opinion in Hlavinka v HSC Pipeline P'ship, released May 27, calling it "a huge victory for landowners" there.

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)-- which maintained significant agricultural tariffs for some products until 2008, when they were phased out- US Exports to Canada and Mexico rose by nearly 15% between 2007 and 2013 as the benefit of this more complete market opening took hold.

While less than 3 out of 10 foreign-born agricultural workers were over 45 years old in 2014, by 2019 this number had increased to 37.5%.

In 2020, the agriculture, fishing, and forestry industries contributed more than $175 billion to US GDP and supported more than 3 million workers.

SB 726 requires a condemning entity to complete at least three actions.

As of January 2024, based on all of the available data, the calorie content will most likely appear on the soon-to-be-released U.S.-FOP label.

The growing recognition that poor food choices are linked to a prevalence of obesity and chronic disease globally has inspired public health leaders to market the benefits of healthful eating.

In Texas, nearly 1 in 6 household are food insecure. This means that more than 1.7 million families- including approximately 4.6 million Texans are at risk for hunger.

On March 18, 2021, the US House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (HR 1693), introduced by Representatives Zoe Lofgren (R-CA) and Dan Newhouse (D-WA), with strong bipartisan support.

In 2021, 13.7% of Texas Households faced food insecurity, the highest rate in the nation.

Judge Bland stated, "There is a lot of inequity in the way condemnations have been handled over the years, and it's something he has seen firsthand with his own family's ranch."