Depending on when Curt Cline attended high school he may
never have been a member of the Future Farmers of America.
The organization which I consider to be the greatest
youth organization in history changed their title to
plain FFA sometime in the 70s. It seems they were early
victims of self imposed PC. The organization had gained
chapters in urban high schools which often focused on
Ornamental Horticulture but didn’t like the farmer
“stigma” associated with “Future Farmers”. The loss
of Future Farmers was a head shaker for us old guard
rural types.
The politics of a name change are always tricky. Another consideration was that the great majority of those employed in the ag sector are not farmers. The FFA recognized that it would paint itself into a very small corner if it did not look beyond production agriculture. As a practical matter, the bulk of farm family income is earned off the farm, and most farm kids will not themselves go on to farm. If an organization is interested in the future of young people in rural America, it will almost inevitably develop programs that cater to more than the tiny cadre that will inherit dad’s farm.