WEYERS CAVE—Virginia’s original organization that led to the National FFA Organization served as a blueprint for the program that’s been in existence for nearly a century.

It began in 1925 with the creation of Future Farmers of Virginia by four Virginia Tech agricultural educators.

“Farm boys didn’t have as much confidence in themselves as their city cousins did,” explained John Hillison, retired Virginia Tech agriculture education professor and curator of the Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education Department’s FFA Historical Room.

“So the founders said, ‘What if we had an organization where they learn leadership skills, win competitions and get awards for their work?’ That’s how it all got started.”

Soon, several states had their own organizations, and the national Future Farmers of America was founded in 1928. The national organization was modeled after Future Farmers of Virginia and became a renowned extracurricular student organization.

Since then, FFA has fostered youth development, becoming a nationally recognized standard in agricultural education that’s embedded in American culture.

Today, the organization has evolved.

In 1964, Black and minority students joined FFA, and women were granted membership in 1969. In 1988, Future Farmers of America rebranded as the National FFA Organization to reflect diversity in agricultural interests and membership.

Virginia FFA currently has 14,110 members across 227 chapters, and boasts the first state charter from the National FFA—the Weyers Cave chapter.

One Weyers Cave family has made participating in FFA a tradition passed down from generation to generation.

Kern Houff grew up on a dairy farm in Rockingham County. He served as vice president of the Montevideo FFA chapter, where he competed in parliamentary procedure and public speaking and in the show circuit.

Whether showing and judging animals or placing in career development events, FFA has been a cornerstone of personal and professional growth in his family.

“Other than my parents, my two agriculture teachers probably had more to do with the successes I’ve had than any other individuals,” said Kern, who was chair of the Virginia FFA Foundation board for many years. “I had a lot of opportunities I might not have had otherwise.”

Recognizing the value of communication, leadership and vocational skills “you can’t learn in books,” Kern gave his children, Jeremy and Sonja, “a little nudge” to join.

Like his father, Jeremy showed dairy cattle and focused on leadership development. He served as Spotswood High School chapter president in the ‘90s. Like many FFA alums, he credits the organization for fundamental skills applied even today as supervisor of the family’s agricultural and industrial services company.

“You understand the impact it has on your life,” said Sonja, a dairy inspector who also farms with her husband, Jay Yankey, in Prince William County. Like her brother, Sonja served as chapter president. She was elected state FFA reporter and took a year off from school to travel the state, working with different FFA chapters, the public and news media.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she reminisced. Sonja added that their children will join FFA once they reach high school.

Media: Contact Hillison at 540-818-9401 or Houff at 540-810-8030.