As the agriculture industry celebrates National FFA Week, AEM caught up with Eric Raby, senior vice president of Americas for AEM member company CLAAS, to discuss the importance of FFA, how the organization works to engage and develop the leaders of tomorrow, and what excites them about the future of the FFA.
Led by AEM member company representatives and several association staff members, AEM established an FFA Fan Group that seeks to accomplish a variety of goals aligned with the association’s support of FFA. Learn more about AEM’s FFA Fan Group.
AEM: The vast majority of people are at least somewhat familiar with FFA. But from your perspective, why do you feel it’s important for folks within the equipment manufacturing industry to understand the organization’s purpose, as well as what it does in terms of supporting people in ag and in other industries?
Raby: FFA has evolved significantly in recent years. Even just changing its name from Future Farmers of America to FFA has opened up the organization to a whole new audience. We’re seeing FFA chapters get established in urban areas, in suburbs, in other different types of environments, and the level of outreach we’re seeing from the organization today is just fantastic.
There are just so many avenues for us as an industry to introduce people to FFA and showcase all the ways it helps foster and promote leadership in agriculture and beyond. And the more we do, the better off we’ll be over the long term.
AEM: How did you get involved with FFA? And how did that involvement help shape your growth and development, both personally and professionally?
Raby: Very few organizations I’ve been involved with have impacted me more than FFA has during my career. It really provided me with fundamental leadership capabilities that have helped me greatly over the years.
My first foray into FFA was in 1982. I became a greenhand and stayed in the organization all four years of high school, participating at the chapter, regional, and state levels. I still possess so many memories from that experience.
One of the most important aspects of my involvement, however, was the fact that I benefited from two great advisors. They really encouraged me to get involved, not only in areas of interest to me, but also in new directions that ultimately helped me broaden my horizons.
The organization also really helped me get a sense of what I wanted, how to go about achieving my goals, and how to measure my progress along the way. In addition, I learned the art of public speaking, and it really helped me learn how to communicate effectively with audiences of all types and sizes.
AEM: In what ways do you try and participate in FFA today?
Raby: I try to attend the National FFA Convention every year. At the most recent one, they had a separate CEO Advisory Board, where they brought in a lot of different people from various aspects of agriculture and outside of agriculture. We talked strategically about FFA, how to bring more people into the organization, how we can support FFA, and more.
There aren’t many places you can go where there are 70,000 young people involved in agriculture, who want to be there, and who are willing to listen and learn. So, for us at CLAAS, the National FFA Convention is a tremendous opportunity for us to interact with young people and learn more about the generation that’s just about ready to enter the workforce. We want to know their challenges and opportunities, and so we’ve really made a concerted effort grow our presence at the convention each year.
AEM: When it comes to young people in ag these days, everyone is looking for professional development and the opportunity to learn what’s out there for them. So, with that being said, why do you feel it’s important for young people – both inside and outside of ag – to try and engage with FFA?
Raby: As a youth organization, so many of the principles and underlying structure are beneficial for people in everyday life. I know I’ve benefited so much from FFA, and I think it’s just a great organization for young people to go through, regardless of their level of involvement in agriculture.
It also opens up young people to a wide range of career choices and opportunities. If you want to be in human resources, social media, manufacturing, marketing, or some other discipline, the opportunities are just so substantial in agriculture, and they may not even realize it. So, it’s our job as FFA leaders to showcase what’s available and open doors for them to take advantage of such a vast space for growth.
AEM: What does it take to get the most value out of your involvement with FFA?
Raby: My advice to anyone is to dive in and don’t be afraid to try something new. As leaders, it’s so important to encourage young people as much as possible. No one should be afraid to try and fail, because that’s how you learn. There’s so much breadth to agriculture and what you can accomplish from participating in FFA. So, to me, it’s very important to try different things, and try them often.
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