(Tom Jirik wrote columns in several newspapers in Iowa from the late 1980’s to the mid 1990’s.  This column originally appeared in the The Boone Today) 

Kids that I used to know in high school used to think that FFA (Future Farmers of America) members were kind of nerdy.

FFA’ers wore those blue corduroy jackets.  The men had to wear ties to their meetings.  FFA members always conducted their meetings in strict adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order.  They studied plants and soils and machinery.  No, FFA didn’t have a very hip image.

What a difference a decade makes.

At their national convention recently, FFA members had to decide how to cope with demand for their trademark jackets from political figures and celebrities.  George Bush wants an FFA jacket.  So do a host of country singers, including Garth Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of “Brooks and Dunn.”

Suddenly FFA is cool and blue corduroy is hip.

FFA hasn’t changed all that much.  Its members are usually well-dressed and neatly groomed.  They still know Robert’s Rules of Order inside and out, and they still study plants, livestock and machinery.

So what happened?

Maybe the world is realizing what FFA members have known all along:  that taking pride in who you are and what you do is an important step on the road to excellence.  That diligent study, hard work and team work can help you accomplish just about anything.  That applying mathematics, science, English, public speaking and critical thinking skills to real world problems in agriculture make those skills an concepts easier to learn and easier to remember.

In college and in organizations since, i’ve noticed that a large number of leaders are former FFA members. Former FFA members know how to analyze problems and think creatively to solve them.  They know how to motivate co-workers and how to organize tasks.  Hey know how to motivate co-workers and how to organize tasks.  They may not wear blue jackets anymore, but the skill they learned at chapter meetings and in the classrooms and fields are still serving them well.

For years, FFA has fought to maintain its programs and memberships.  A shift of population from rural schools districts to the suburbs has made it difficult to maintain interest in agriculture-related programs.

As a result, FFA has had to change.  Its programs now apply the latest in science to agriculture.  Lessons focus on biotechnology, genetics, engineering and environmental conservation.  Even urban students can recognize how important those topics are to contemporary society.  Consequently, membership appears to be on the rebound.

With that kind of history, tradition and progressiveness behind it, no wonder FFA jackets are in demand.

To their credit, FFA delegates at the national convention took the demand for the jackets seriously.  “It’s the pride of every FFA member,” Laurie mccormick, an FFA delegate from California, told Kansas City Star.  In the end, the group agreed to issue jackets to public figures and celebrities selected by a special FFA team.  The jackets will be clearly marked with the word  “honorary.”  It seems like a common-sense approach.

I guess that’s what you’d expect from the FFA.