Local FFA Members Named to National Honor

American FFA Degree Recipients (left to right): Parker Wurst, Coy Mahanay, Remington Stocking

INDIANAPOLIS – Each year, the National FFA Organization is proud to honor the FFA members who show the utmost dedication to the organization through their desire to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. That honor, the American FFA Degree, is bestowed up on a select group of individuals for years of academic and professional excellence.

Approximately 3,500 American FFA Degrees are handed out each year at the National FFA Convention. That number represents less than half of one percent of all FFA members, making it one of the organization’s highest honors.

Coy Mahanay, Remington Stocking and Parker Wurst, FFA members representing the LAMAR FFA Chapter in Lamar, Colorado have been selected to join that exclusive list and will be awarded the American FFA Degree at the 85th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis. The convention is known as the largest student gathering in the United States and will occur Oct. 24-27, 2012.

The American FFA Degree is sponsored by Case IH, The Progressive Farmer, Farm Credit, Syngenta, and Pioneer, a DuPont Business, as a special project of the National FFA Foundation. It recognizes demonstrated ability and outstanding achievements in agricultural business, production, processing or service programs. To be eligible, FFA members must have earned and productively invested $7,500 through a supervised agricultural experience program in which they start, own or hold a professional position in an existing agriculture enterprise. Recipients must also complete 50 community service hours, as well as demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement.

Each recipient of the American FFA Degree collects a gold American FFA Degree Key plus a certificate after being on-stage during the convention.

The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 540,379 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,489 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

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About National FFA Organization

The National FFA Organization is a national youth organization of 540,379 student members as part of 7,489 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The National FFA Organization operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st United States Congress and it is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The U.S. Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to state and local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the National FFA Organization online at www.FFA.org, on Facebook, Twitter and the official National FFA Organization blog.