FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — A new budget proposal by Governor Andy Beshear in Kentucky would eliminate financial barriers for students wanting to join their local FFA chapters by covering all membership fees statewide.
Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman announced on social media that at her suggestion, Kentucky's proposed budget includes funding for a new "FFA for All" program. The initiative would invest $200,000 this year and $250,000 next year to cover FFA membership fees for students across the state.
"If just one more student got to experience what I got to experience, just through high school, it would be worth it," said Caroline Groth, a former National FFA Eastern Region vice president and Lexington native.
Groth, who is 20 years old, recently completed her term as a national officer after serving as Kentucky's FFA state president. She began her agricultural journey at age 9, showing lambs through Fayette County 4-H before discovering FFA as a high school freshman.
"My dad showed livestock growing up. Wanted his kids to show livestock, started showing lambs through Fayette County 4-H when I was nine, which introduced me to FFA, my future ag teachers at the county fair, started my freshman year and fell in love with it," Groth said.
The proposed funding could help bridge a significant participation gap in Kentucky's agricultural education programs. While the state has approximately 24,000 FFA members, around 34,000 students are enrolled in agriculture education courses.
"There's a gap there of students that are in Ag Ed courses but not FFA members. And that could be due to the financial barrier that comes with FFA and what this initiative does is it removes that barrier. Students don't have to worry about the expense of joining FFA," Groth said.
The program aims to help students from all socioeconomic backgrounds participate in FFA, learn lifelong leadership skills and contribute to growing Kentucky's agricultural workforce.
Groth credits her own success to a similar program in her home chapter, where the local farm bureau covered membership dues for students.
"I'm a product of a chapter that had a program like this so our farm bureau covered our dues. And to watch the impact that had on our chapter. Any student that wanted to could be an FFA member. For me, FFA changed my life and I watched it change the lives of students in my chapter, students across the state, and students across the nation getting to serve as a national officer. So I'm excited for students in Kentucky to not be limited by a financial barrier for this awesome organization," Groth said.
Coleman sent a statement to LEX 18 regarding her decision to propose the "FFA for All" program which can be read below:
"Kentucky is an agriculture-based state that is key to feeding a growing world. But because the farming population is aging and farmland is shrinking, it’s becoming harder and harder to operate the family farm. So I proposed an 'FFA for All' program to Governor Beshear and he included it in our budget proposal.
This funding provides an opportunity for any student, regardless of income, to join their school’s Future Farmers of American (FFA) chapter. That means every student who wants to, will gain leadership skills that are synonymous with FFA as well as exposure to, and experience with, the different career opportunities that agriculture provides.
I grew up on a farm and became a teacher, so it was important to me to work across party lines with Agriculture Commissioner Shell and Education Commissioner [Robbie] Fletcher to create 'All In For Ag Ed Week' in Kentucky. Now, more kids – at a younger age – will have access to agriculture education. By removing the financial barrier for students who want to join their local FFA chapter in high school (and some middle schools), we are opening the industry of agriculture to more students than ever before."
-Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman
