Virginia FFA license plate announced

A youth leadership organization focused on agricultural education unveiled a new “Support FFA” license plate at its annual convention in Blacksburg Monday evening.

Officials with the Virginia FFA Foundation say the license plate will be available to Virginia drivers in 2018 if the minimum of 1,000 pre-orders is achieved within the next few weeks. The organization also announced that its “Drive for 1,000” Campaign Headquarters will be run out of the newly established headquarters of the Virginia FFA Foundation at the Weyers Cave Community Center in Augusta County.

“This is a monumental step toward Virginia FFA coming home to where it all began in 1927,” says incoming Chairman of the Board for the Virginia FFA Foundation Jesse Martin. The national FFA organization was created based on the model established by the Future Farmers of Virginia, which first met in the small farming community of Weyers Cave. Today, there are 649,355 FFA members in grades 7 through 12 who belong to one of 7,859 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

For every 1,000 plates on the road, $15,000 will be generated annually to support educational efforts of Virginia FFA.

Jennifer Armstrong, who serves as Virginia FFA Foundation’s Director of Stewardship and Engagement, says offering the license plate to the public is an opportunity for people to show their support for agricultural education. “We see this as a turning point for Virginia FFA to gain the support that it so desperately needs,” said Armstrong.

Production of the “Support FFA” license plate is contingent upon having 1,000 pre-orders before Virginia’s General Session convenes this fall.

“This is a historic moment for the Virginia FFA,” said Martin. “Not only are we bringing Virginia FFA back home to Weyers Cave, but we are laying out the future success of our organization. This is more than a license plate, this is a way to show the world that you support the student leaders who are the future of agriculture.”

“This is about giving the 2% of the population that feeds the other 98% relevancy and a bright future,” said Armstrong. “Virginia is the home of the FFA – it just makes sense that we have a license plate!”

The “Support FFA” license plate is sponsored by Virginia’s 24th District Senator Emmett Hanger and 25th District Delegate Steve Landes.

To pre-order a license plate ($25.00) visit www.SupportFFA.org and click on the license plate on the home page.