Upperclassmen officers of the Winamac Community High School FFA chapter accept a donation from Farm Credit-Mid America. They are (left to right) sentinel Curtis Pesaresi, vice president Cooper Jones, vice president Kirsten Calloway, treasurer Max Murray and president Beau Brandt.

Tammy Halleck is the teacher/sponsor of the Winamac FFA chapter. She explains the national FFA organization is an intra-curricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership. FFA is not just for students who want to be production farmers; it also welcomes members who aspire to careers as teachers, doctors, scientists, veterinarians, government officials, business owners and more. For this reason, the name of the organization was updated in 1988 after a vote of national convention delegates to reflect the growing diversity and new opportunities in the industry of agriculture.

Indiana FFA is a dynamic youth organization that provides students opportunities for leadership development, personal growth and career success. Indiana FFA members can be found not only in rural communities, but also in many suburban and urban schools.

Annually, 11 leadership conferences are offered to Indiana FFA members. These conferences, which are presented by student leaders, allow for a creative and fun way to help youth develop positive character traits and habits. Altogether there are more than 200 activities to engage Indiana’s 12,000 FFA members.

Farm Credit has a regional office in Rochester where Matt Koonce serves as senior financial officer.