DES MOINES, Iowa (February 20, 2024) — Rural communities across the country are celebrating national FFA Week running from February 17 – 24. To celebrate, Landus is proud to present some of the projects that recipients from last year's FFA Core Grants are working on or completed.
Atlantic FFA
The Atlantic FFA used Landus Grant funds to pay for Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT) and DMACC Ignite, Amplify, and Transform seminars in Ankeny.
Additionally, Landus Account Lead, Jeremiah Thompson, works with kids from this chapter in an 8-acre test plot. Jeremiah has given considerable time to show students how to read health soil charts and share agronomy information.
Boone A&M FFA
Funds used to replace and update the FFA Chapter's "Wall of Fame" in the Ag Classroom. These plaques recognize students who have earned their Iowa FFA Degree, American FFA Degree, and various Leadership Awards since the chapter's beginning in 1997.
Funds used to support part of the cost for students to attend the Washington Leadership Conference. This week-long event is the premier leadership conference for the National FFA Organization. Boone A&M FFA Chapter member Nathan Lynch was proud to represent his chapter at the Nation's Capital!
South Central Calhoun FFA
South Central Calhoun FFA utilized its funds from the Landus Grant to purchase new batteries for their drones. This allows students to utilize the drone for longer periods of time. This is especially helpful because their chapter farm, which serves as the location to get drone footage of multiple times per year, is about 10 minutes away from the school and students don't have a power source out there to charge the batteries.
Not only did this money help the FFA chapter, but this also benefits the instruction as well when teachers and advisers are showing students how to use the drone as an example of modern agricultural technology.
West Central Valley FFA
The Landus grant has helped the West Central Valley FFA Chapter for a number of years on a wide variety of projects. Funds have ben used to travel to State and National Convention, purchase equipment for their greenhouse, finance community service projects, and so much more.
West Central Valley's especially active in their community by engaging in at least one community service project a month. These efforts can look like cleaning up ditches twice per school year and graves at the Menlo Cemetery, delivering meals to farmers during harvest, or crafting and donating tie blankets to a local women and children's clinic. All these efforts are coordinated and implemented by student officers.
Greene County FFA
The Greene County FFA has used previous Landus Grants to purchase the chapter supplies for its greenhouse project. This project was built with and used by students to learn more about agronomy, soil health, and botany.
