FFA Timeline (Page 3) 2026

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What year did the New Farmers of America merge with the Future Farmers of America?

1965

What led to the merging of the NFA and the FFA?

Civil Rights Act of 1964

How many years was the NFA around for before it merged with the FFA?

30

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?

Mandated the end of segregation, resulting in the merge of the NFA and the FFA.

When was the first FFA National Agricultural Career Show held at convention?

1966

What is the FFA National Agricultural Career Show now called?

Expo

When were the FFA archives developed at the National FFA Center?

1967

Who helped develop the FFA archives?

Elmer J. Johnson

When did presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon speak at convention?

1968

When did the FFA open its membership to females?

1969

What were women allowed to do in the FFA after it had opened to them?

Hold office and participate in competitive events at both the regional and national level.

Who is named the first American Star in Agribusiness?

Ken Dunagan from Arizona

When is the first American Star in Agribusiness given?

1969

When does the Washington Conference begin?

1969

What is the Washington Conference now called?

Washington Leadership Conference (WLC)

When do delegates establish the alumni class of membership as a part of the constitution?

1969

In what year do the first two females become delegates to the national convention?

1970

Who were the first two women to be delegates to the national convention?

• Anita Decker from New York

• Patricia Krowicki from New Jersey

When is the National FFA Alumni Association established?

1971

When does the Building Our American Communities (BOAC) program begin?

1971

When are the FFA Official Dress standards created?

1973

When is an African American elected to a national office for the first time?

1973

Who was the first African American elected to a national FFA office? What office was it?

• Fred McClure from Texas

• National FFA Secretary

When did President Gerald Ford speak at National FFA convention, where it was carried live on network television?

1974

When did the Food for America program launch?

1975

When does Jimmy Carter, formerly a member of the Plains (Ga.) FFA Chapter, speak at National FFA Convention?

1975

When was the first FFA Student Handbook published?

1975

When does the first women hold a national FFA Office?

1976

Who was the first women to hold a national FFA office, and as what?

• Julie Smiley

• National FFA Vice President

When does Alaska become the last of 50 states to receive a national charter?

1976

What year does Jimmy Carter speak at convention for a second time, but now as president of the US?

1978

When is the commemorative marker noting the site of the organization’s founding unveiled?

1978

Where was the commemorative marker noting the site of the organization’s founding unveiled at?

Kansas City, Missouri

Who won the first Extemporaneous Public Speaking Event?

Christe Peterson from Wisconsin

When was the first Extemporaneous Public Speaking Event held?

1979

When does the National FFA Foundation raise $1 million dollars in one year for the first time?

1980

Who became the first female national FFA president?

Jan Eberly from California

What year was a female a national FFA president for the first time?

1982

What year did the Ag Ed Network launch?

1983

What is the Ag Ed Network?

The FFAs computerized information service.

What year does the first FFA TV public service announcement air?

1984

What year does the National FFA Scholarship Program begin?

1984

Who won the first Agriscience Teacher of the Year Award?

Steven McKay from Boonville, California

What year was the first Agriscience Teacher of the Year Award given?

1986

What year does the first national television satellite broadcast of National FFA Convention?

1987

What year does Vice President George H.W. Bush speak at convention?

1987

What year did the FFA change its name to the National FFA Organization?

1988

Why did the FFA change its name?

To reflect its growing diversity.

What year were seventh and eighth graders permitted to become FFA members?

1988

What year was the Agriscience Student Recognition program introduced?

1988

What year does President Ronald Reagan speaks at convention with a prerecorded message?

1988