The California Forest Foundation’s long-running Talk About Trees program educates young people about the benefits of sustainable forestry. Talk About Trees provides balanced, science-based information about the environmental, economic and societal uses of forest resources for present and future generations.

The National Farm to School Network strives to close the gap between youth and the food that they eat through outdoor garden education, classroom learning focused on food and farming and local food procurement in school cafeterias. 

The National FFA Organization believes in the value of community service as a means of addressing local concerns, while also understanding the need for service to be situation-specific and collaborative. Unifying these perspectives, FFA established Living to Serve, a competitive grant program that funds FFA chapters’ service-learning projects and allows students across the country to propose service projects that are tailored to the needs of their own communities. 

The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Farm Credit partner each year to honor kindergarten through 12th grade teachers from around the country for the innovative ways they use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies, STEM/STEAM and more.

While the role of women in agriculture is changing rapidly, some women continue to face challenges as they navigate careers in farming, ranching and agribusiness. American Agri-Women and its affiliate organizations (hereby referred to as Agri-Women) provide women the opportunity to make their voices heard in agriculture and learn valuable leadership skills in the company of their peers.

To teach students how to manage their finances without the risk of real-life financial consequences, Farm Credit partnered with the University of Idaho Extension to create Night of the Living Debt (NLD), a video game where zombies have taken over the financial world and a failure to pay off their demands will result in a diminished credit score.

When the National FFA Organization was established by 33 delegates from 18 states 90 years ago, FFA stood for “Future Farmers of America.” While the organization remains focused on preparing the next generation of farmers, it is clear that FFA means even more today.

FFA’s New Century Farmer conference develops participants’ planning skills to help them prosper in the business of farming. Farm Credit is deeply committed to the future of agriculture, and we believe in the efficacy and value of FFA and the New Century Farmer program.

Six elementary and two secondary teachers from around the country receive the Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Awards for the innovative ways they use agricultural concepts to teach core academic subjects. The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit make these awards possible.

Farm Credit supports young people at every stage of their agriculture education. From purchasing students’ 4-H or FFA livestock at the county fair, to supporting local school gardens, to providing scholarships to young adults throughout their collegiate studies, Farm Credit is committed to the next generation of agriculture leaders. Read more about how Capital Farm Credit supports the next generation of agriculture through scholarships and community grants.