U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann, R-KS, and Jimmy Panetta, D-CA, announced Dec. 2 the establishment of the Congressional FFA Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The FFA Caucus will serve as an informal group of U.S. Representatives dedicated to issues related to the next generation of agriculture leaders and students pursuing careers in agriculture, food, natural resources, and related sciences. The two congressman will co-chair the bipartisan caucus.
“As a past chapter FFA president from Quinter, Kansas, and proud FFA alumnus, I am honored to establish the first-ever FFA Caucus on Capitol Hill,” Mann said. “The National FFA Organization plays an important role in preparing the next generation of leaders who will change the world. As a member of Congress and the House Agriculture Committee, I’m dedicated to raising awareness about school-based agricultural education, FFA, and the next generation of leaders who will feed, fuel, and clothe our world.”
“Although Tracy and I come from different parts of the country, we work together in Congress to protect our nation’s agriculture and perpetuate the involvement of young farmers in our food security,” Panetta said. "The Congressional FFA Caucus will be another way to encourage other members of Congress to support agriculture, enhance opportunities for future farmers, and ensure their involvement in the future of America’s agricultural.”
The FFA Caucus will work to strengthen relationships between Congress and agricultural education students and FFA members and will raise the profile of school-based agricultural education, FFA, and the next generation of leaders in food and agriculture.
“FFA plays a key role in educating our youth and developing the next generation of leaders. With the development of this caucus comes the opportunity to share the message of the importance of agriculture to others,” said Scott Stump, CEO of the National FFA Organization. “We know FFA members are not only our future leaders, but they are the ones who will continue to fill the talent pipeline in the industry of agriculture. It is exciting to be able to share this message with a broader audience through this caucus.”
