SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — FFA members from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS) were in the spotlight during the annual Ag Breakfast at the Illinois State Fair, held on Agriculture Day, Tuesday, August 16. A half-dozen corduroy-clad agriculture students made the trip from the southside high school to hear Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announce that Illinois schools would no longer require enrollment fees for any students wishing to participate in their school’s FFA program. The announcement is expected to clear the way for up to 15,000 additional Illinois schoolkids to enroll in the FFA youth leadership program. 

“The future of our agriculture industry is vital to our state’s success and future growth,” said the governor. “That’s why we’re making agricultural education more accessible across Illinois. FFA is foundational to that effort; every student regardless of economic status deserves access to what FFA has to offer, in and outside the classroom. 

“But previously, only two-thirds of agricultural students were able to experience FFA, meaning that 15,000 students in Illinois didn’t have access to it. That’s a missed opportunity for our students, but also for our state. So from now on, the state of Illinois will pay FFA membership dues for every single student.”

The move to make Illinois an FFA “affiliation” state was made possible through a $550,000 budget appropriation approved by the Illinois General Assembly.

Prior to Pritzker’s announcement, the Chicago ag students were allowed to come to the stage and read brief essays of appreciation they had penned to the state’s farmers and farm workers. 

“Everyday I am influenced by your hard work and aspire to have as great of an impact on the world as you do,” said Sophie Crowley, who will graduate from CHSAS in 2025. “I am pursuing that dream at the CHSAS by joining and becoming an active member of FFA. (This has) allowed me to connect with real farmers and experience real farming life by tending to our market items and tending to our chickens and cows. Your hard work and dedication have had such an impact on our everyday lives, and I’ve come to understand the importance of agriculture and our farmers.”

Added Sophia Roy, a sophomore at CHSAS: “Thank you farmers; without you we would go hungry and wouldn’t have the resources to supply the world with food, clothing and other important materials. I am so grateful for all of the sacrifices you have made for others. Thank you so much for what you do.”

The students’ remarks were delivered while Pritzker, Ill. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who is chairman of the state rural affairs council, Ill. Dept. of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello and other featured speakers for the Ag Breakfast looked on from the dais. 

“I want to say to our Chicago agricultural students, wow!” said the governor. “Those letters are inspiring, and they are inspiring young people. They are the bright minds of the future of the state of Illinois, and it’s clear that the state will be in great hands.” 

CHSAS, a Chicago Public School, is located in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago’s far southside. The college preparatory school’s agriculture program offers career pathways for students that include Agricultural Finance and Economics, Agricultural Mechanics and Technology, Animal Science, Food Science and Technology, Horticulture, and Biotechnology in Agriculture. The four-year magnet school and its FFA program was chartered in 1985.

Also occurring during the Ag Breakfast, Costello announced the winners of several state agriculture awards and read the names of around 200 centennial and sesquicentennial farms in Illinois. Each farm will receive a sign of designation to place at the entrance of their properties. 

“These generations of farmers have been waking up at the crack of dawn to ensure families across the nation won’t go hungry and that America remains an agricultural leader,” Costello said. “To all of you, thank you so much for your commitment to our state’s success.”