Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County March 31, 2012 Edition
I find myself really struggling to keep my mind on task and my eyes open as I write this week’s column. I actually have a pretty good excuse for this as I rolled in late last night after an intense couple of days at the 84th Nebraska State FFA Convention. I was privileged to join many people who volunteer their time and efforts in helping to run the convention and the accompanying agricultural education contests and leadership contest events.
I spent the first 29 years of my agricultural career on the other side of the FFA convention, coaching, monitoring and hauling kids to where they needed to be, and of course reveling in the accomplishments of my “kids”. So working the convention from another point of view is more than interesting. I had the opportunity once again to work with the FFA “Cream of the Crop” by helping with the Legislative breakfast, the State Proficiency finalist interviews and the Star State Degree finalist competition. I have now had this opportunity for several years and look forward to it each and every year. I come away every year so highly impressed with the young men and women across our state whom I get to know a little better through these highly competitive and inspirational events. I have always known the innate and developed skills of these young people because as a teacher I had the privilege to work with some of the best in the land in my ag education classes and local FFA Chapter. I have to tell you that this event keeps me grounded and reaffirms my faith in the future of agriculture and our country with the talents and skills exhibited by these outstanding young men and women.
This year’s State FFA Convention theme was “I Believe” and after witnessing more than 3550 young men and women all dressed in the Blue & Gold, with the enthusiasm, spirit and unbridled anticipation for their future that they bring, you cannot help but feel really good about our future. I too believe. I believe in the future of agriculture and the future of our state and nation under the work and determination that just oozes from these young adults. I believe in these young people and what they offer. I can tell you that our area young people represented us all very well and that they make us all proud.
I really like the reference that this year’s theme makes to one of the most important phrases in the FFA – “I believe”. Any FFA “Greenhand” member will tell you that those words have special meaning as one of the first tasks they complete as freshmen is learning the five paragraphs of the FFA Creed. Each paragraph starts with those very words. Every person who is involved in agriculture in any form should make themselves familiar with the content and meaning of the FFA creed. A creed is a foundational component for many organizations. It serves to establish collective vision and goals with the intent of providing purpose and direction to the individual as well as the organization. We all would be better served if all of us were to prescribe to the premise provided the very creed that is central to the FFA organization. In ruminating on those famous two words in reminded me of some history of the FFA creed that gives a little more perspective.
It is no secret that the FFA creed has influenced the lives of countless FFA members; however, it hasn’t received much attention in terms of its origin. Every FFA member can tell you that the FFA creed was written by E.M. Tiffany in 1928 and officially adopted by the National FFA organization in 1930. They can probably also tell you that it was revised twice to form the current version, including the big change of believing in the future of agriculture instead of how I learned it – “I believe in the future of farming.” In retrospect that change was huge because of the fact that FFA is much more than farming and encompasses so much more, all of which is personified in the differences that you see in the young people in interests, SAE programs and skill sets that each bring to a collective common focus.
In a historic aspect, it should be noted that in many organizations new members are required to recite the full creed as a prerequisite for membership, much like the FFA. What a lot of people don’t know is that there were in fact two creeds for agriculture students that pre-dated the current FFA creed. Even though the FFA didn’t allow girls in the program until the late 1960’s there was a female oriented creed that expressed the importance of women in agriculture. During the early decades of the 1900s, numerous boys and girls agriculture clubs were established throughout the country. A foundational component of these clubs was the development and recitation of a members’ creed. “The Country Girls’s Creed”, written by Jessie Field Shambaugh, was used by organizations for farm girls in the early part of the 20th century. The Country Girl’s Creed included five paragraphs, which was remarkably similar to the FFA creed written by E.M. Tiffany.
A common predecessor to the Future Farmers clubs were corn clubs established to promote the growing of corn by rural boys enrolled in vocational agriculture. Before the Future Farmers of Virginia (FFV) was established in 1925, the Boys’ Corn Clubs of Virginia existed. Edwin Osgood Grover wrote a creed titled “The Country Boy’s Creed”. These two original organization creeds were the basis for the creed that Henry Groseclose, considered the father of FFA, adopted for the Future Farmers of Virginia and was a requirement for earning the Virginia Planter degree, the highest of the three degrees in the FFV, which later became the Future Farmers of America. The FFA creed written by E.M. Tiffany is one of the premier documents in the history of the FFA. It embodies what every FFA member believes about the future of agriculture in this country. The FFA creed is cherished by all FFA members, past and present, and should be celebrated in the long history of the FFA - much like the theme of this year’s FFA Convention.-- I Believe!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home
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