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Johnstown-Monroe Local student Lauren earns state FFA degree, credits hands-on projects and outreach
Summary
Lauren, a student at Johnstown-Monroe Local, told the school meeting she earned a state Future Farmers of America degree after completing an extended record-keeping project and leadership activities, and urged early outreach after the district discontinued its local FFA program.
Lauren, a student at Johnstown-Monroe Local School District, told meeting attendees she earned a state Future Farmers of America degree on May 1, 2027, describing the hands-on project work and recordkeeping that qualified her for the award.
The student said the state degree required detailed tracking through an Agricultural Experience Tracker–style system and completion of specified projects and earnings thresholds. "In FFA you have what's called AET and then you go through and you have to input — it's like a lot of record keeping and like projects and different things you do," Lauren said, describing how she logged time, expenses and income for a dairy feeder steer she kept as her principal project.
The moderator who introduced Lauren noted the ceremony presenter had said fewer than 2% of FFA members earn the state degree. According to Lauren, the state-level review follows chapter approvals and can be followed, for those who qualify, by the American degree at the national level after college.
Lauren also described leadership and outreach work. She said she serves on the Ohio Beef Youth Council and recently attended a leadership conference in Florida. For a school project, she organized a take-action day at the intermediate school that involved six local businesses speaking with fourth- and fifth-graders about agricultural careers and commercial aspects of farming. "I talked about six different topics to show like there really is so much in agriculture," she said, arguing that exposure at younger grades can build interest in FFA.
She told the meeting the local high school discontinued its FFA program "here at Johnstown" because of low participation, and said she hopes to pursue agriculture education after graduation so she can return and provide opportunities she did not have in high school.
Asked about college plans, Lauren said she plans visits to several land-grant universities, including Ohio State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, and is considering studying to become an agricultural education teacher. She added she may also work on her family's farm.
The presentation offered both a student perspective on the pathway to a state FFA degree and a local outreach effort aimed at rebuilding interest in agricultural programs at younger grade levels.
