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Growth areas for MO FFA membership

Missouri’s director of agricultural education says the growth in FFA membership over the past 10 years has been regional.

Keith Dietzschold says more programs have been added in smaller school districts in south-central and southeastern Missouri.

“People have seen what we do and how we do things. I think that’s important. I also think finding teachers in all disciplines is difficult right now.”

He says there is an opportunity for FFA growth in suburban and urban areas. Dietzschold says there are 20 urban/suburban FFA chapters in Missouri, with the potential to add three more of these programs in 2023.

“We believe it’s a place we need to continue to look at to find those members interested in ag education,” he says. “After all, as the agriculture world knows, we have the animal health corridor on the west side of the state and plant science corridor on the east side.”

Missouri FFA has 356 chapters and 26,000 members. Brownfield interviewed Dietzschold at the Missouri FFA Convention last week in Columbia.