CHENANGO – Recognizing the value of continuing agriculture education programs throughout the region, the Chenango County Board of Supervisors is throwing support behind Future Farmers of America (FFA) programs in Chenango County school districts.

A resolution pledging continued support for FFA will go before members of the Board of Supervisors on Monday. Currently, FFA programs are implemented in DCMO BOCES as well as four Chenango County schools: Otselic Valley, Unadilla Valley, Afton, and Oxford.

The National FFA is an intracurricular organization dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of young people by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agri-science education at the local, state and national levels.

More than 629,000 FFA members, aged 12-21, in 7,665 chapters in all 50 states. Nearly 75 percent of those members enroll in a two-year or four-year college program after high school, preparing them for one of hundreds of career opportunities available in agriculture.

“I look at my program not as a way to make sure kids have a job at the end of high school, but more as a way for my kids to learn all the different career facets that are available to them in agriculture,” said Betty Robinson, FFA advisor and agriculture teacher at the Otselic Valley Central School District. “It’s more of an introduction to jobs in agriculture.”